My heart to yours your hand in mine
by Buri of La La Land
Summary: AlbelxFayt It was raining heavily when Fayt was rescued from outside. As he awoke, the person he saw didn't seem to remember him. Will Albel ever remember the sort of friendship they had once obtained? DramaAngstRomance.
1. The Boy Sitting By the Grave

(Buri's comments)  
Okay, this is my first story to ever submit to I'm over-excited about what people will think. I hope it's not bad…The first part is the only part I'm concerned about. The second part; and the part I'm currently working on; is better. XD Okay, hope you enjoy!

In just a few amounts of time, two people can become sworn enemies. To find only anger in themselves, they try to seek only revenge instead of an acceptation between the two. Now it seems impossible for them to become friends at all.

--

Chapter 1 

Albel's sword dropped to the ground. He fell to his knees.

"(gasp) Maybe that's enough practice for today," he said still trying to catch his breath.

He grabbed his sword, got back to his feet again, and walked up the hill slowly. He heard a loud thundering noise.

"Looks like there's going to be a storm," he said calmly. He looked up to the sky to see what seemed like a fighting battle-but only lightning in the clouds. A raindrop reached his face. He frowned. "Feh..." he said as he carried on up the hill.

As he was making his way down the hill, he noticed a boy that was standing beside a grave and he looked rather devastated. Albel didn't bother-since he needed to get inside before he got a cold or he caught pneumonia. He began to run since the rain was pouring down and his hair was wet. He tried to cover himself, but before long he was inside. He shook all the rain off; as well as drying his hair off. The desk clerk turned to look at him.

"Looks like were having another storm." She replied. Albel ignored her, but she still carried on talking.

"I believe this month is the month known as the "cursed season"," she said. Albel didn't believe in such things and he honestly didn't care what she had to say. She began to talk on and on and finally, Albel was tired of her blabbering.

"Please, would you shut up!" he yelled. She held her mouth. "I'm sorry," she began. " I—I didn't mean to.. I tend to ramble on about things and I don't even notice them," she said as she blushed.

"Well, isn't that special? Why don't you throw a party for yourself, huh?" he said sarcastically. She squealed. "Oh! That sounds wonderful!" she said as her face lit up. "I think I'll do that!" she said as she ran off leaving the desk unattended.

"HEY! You can't just leave! You're still working! I was JOKING!" Albel said, but until he realized that she was long-gone. He sighed like he meant "oh well" or "who cares".

He looked around mindlessly like he was a zombie. He sneezed.

"Oh, that's great," said Albel. He looked out the window to see if the storm had gotten worse. And it had. Lots worse. His eyes shrank, and he still saw that boy standing there at that same stupid grave. Albel could see more clearly than he had before, and he could see that indeed the boy was crying. He tried to make out the words on the grave, but he couldn't. He thought that he should yell at him so he can get inside before he catches a cold, too. Albel opened the front door.

"HEY! Get inside or you might get a cold!" Albel screamed trying to talk over the winds that were inside of the storm. The mysterious boy flinched, and looked over to Albel. He stared at him for a long time.

"..Well?" Albel said. He sighed. Then he grabbed the boy and carried him on inside. For some strange reason, the boy was still looking at Albel. Albel blushed; but he didn't know why.

"You know, you really shouldn't be outside when there's a storm," he said. "You could have caught a—" Albel stopped. The boy sneezed and his face looked pale. "On second thought, maybe you already know what happens," he said feeling stupid to tell him about that when he already had caught a cold.

"So..." Albel trailed on. "What's your name?" he asked. The boy hesitated.

"M-My name..?" he asked again.

"Yes," Albel responded. "I asked you already so you're supposed to answer."

"My name is Fate.." he said. " I thought you already knew me.." Fate said as he twirled his fingers around a bit. Albels face looked confused.

"Really? Because I would have sworn that I've never seen you in my life before," Albel said. Fate put his hands on Albel's shoulders.

"I'm Fate Linegod, don't you remember! I was the one that helped you defeat the creator and you helped me as well! We went with Nel, Cliff, Rodger, Maria , Adray , Mirage , me, and you! Please, Albel! Tell me you remember!" Fate said as he let his head fall and he started breathing heavily.

"Umm...I remember all those other people...just not you," Albel said as he broke a sweat. Fate's pupils shrank. He looked like he was saying: "how in the world is that happening! We...I...you.."

"W-What?" he asked. "Don't you remember when—" Fate said. Albel shook his head. "No," he said in response. "I don't really remember any thing that had to do with you. I'm sorry.." Albel said. Fate calmed down.

"That's ok if you don't remember," he said. "But I'm just so... So confused!" Fate said as he rubbed his head. Albel let his face smile.

"Then maybe you should get some rest. You might feel better in the morning," he said.

"Oh," he blinked. " Yeah...(yawn) I guess you're right. Well, I guess I'll catch some Z's," he said stretching his arms out in the air. " See ya tomorrow morning!" He said as he walked slowly down the hallway still yawning and sneezing and whatever he might have done. Then Albel sneezed.

"Maybe I should get some rest, too!" He said as he tried to find his room or a room that was available. But all he could find was the one that Fate was sleeping in. There were two beds in each room and the happy clerk that had party hats and streamers all over her led Albel into the room.

"Enjoy you two!" she said as she sounded like she meant the two of them were a couple. Albel blushed massively and almost smacked her in the face.

"I was joking!" She said drearily. She fell over to the ground. Albel stared at her.

"Stupid woman," he said. "I didn't mean for you to get drunk," he said as he kicked her. She smiled and giggled. He couldn't just leave her there so he put her in the desk where she was supposed to be 3 hours ago. She slumped over. Albel worried. There were people coming in. So there was only one thing he could do.

"Do you have any free rooms for two?" The man asked.

"Why, certainly!" Albel said trying to talk like a lady. The man and the woman gave him funny looks. Albel gritted his teeth and tried to swallow his embarrassment. It was enough to choke him; that much of embarrassment. At least he wasn't wearing a dress. Oh wait---- **Albel smacks writer**----...Oww...?

"Here you go! One room for two!" he said as he handed them a card which they needed to enter their room. He was still sweating like he had just got out from a pool or had been splashed with an enormous amount of water. The man and woman looked around—curious.

"Dear," she whispered into her husband's ear. "What ever is that horrid smell?" she said. They both looked at Albel. Albel was looking off into the distance when all of the sudden he noticed that they were whispering about him. He was filled with anger and some other emotions he didn't know at all.

"May I suggest you use this, Ma'am," she said handing him something. She gave him a stick of deodorant. "It's shower fresh, too!" she said shakily. Albel felt like he was a disgrace. What in the world would possibly make her give him a stick of shower-fresh deodorant? And...why would she have it in her purse, anyway? He thought about it, and decided, "Heck, I need some rest ( and maybe I ought to try this stuff out) What! What am I saying! This is women's deodorant!" he fought in his mind with himself for a very long time.

"Can we go into our room now?" they asked. Albel looked stupidly at them.

"Well of course you can, maggots!" he screamed, forgetting to use his imitation of a girls' voice. He covered his mouth. They both stared at him with their mouths opened wide.

"Right this way!" He said pointing one hand down the hallway not removing his other hand from its designated spot. As soon as they were gone, Albel lowered his stance lazily (no guy ever sits or stands up straight) And let out a sigh of relief and of certain pain.

"Good," he said casually. " Now I can get some rest."

Will Albel make it to his bedroom in time! Or will he be attacked by fangirls (including me) Along the way..! Will Fate ever find his friends heart and remind Albel that they once knew each other? Will the desk clerk EVER wake up so Albel can stay "off duty"? Ooooohh, the SUSPENSE! I bet It's KILLING you... Too bad... You're better off dead.. ALL OF YOU! MWAAHAHAAAAAAAA!

"What are you doing, Albel?" I said with a cup of tea in my hand. "Who said you were allowed to write my story!" I said as I put my cup of tea down gently, then running to him and smacking him as hard as I could in his face. So hard, that he got a NOSEBLEED.

Find out what happens in the next Installment of...

My heart to yours; your hand in mine CHAPTER 2!

---Writer


	2. Lust

Aha! I see you came into here interested, ehh? Well, I'm glad you came back. (I would've forced you anyway but...)

Chapter 2 (oooooh! things are warming up!)

Albel crawled into his bed slowly. His muscles were still in pain from his overdone training. He stared up at the ceiling for a long time.

"Trouble getting to sleep these days, huh?" Fate said casually. Albel studied the walls that surrounded him in complete darkness.

"No," Albel said in response. "I'm just thinking heavily. I'm not going to sleep just yet," he said. Fate looked at Albel. Albel's expression was bursting with anger, hatred; raw emotions that Albel had always felt.

"You haven't changed a bit since the time you left." Fate said calmly. Albel looked over at Fate. Now, Fate's expression was more serious this time, except, he was smiling. To Albel it was serious; he couldn't tell exactly what he was trying to say.

"Albel. Do you remember when I told you that fighting isn't the answer to everything?" Fate asked his long lost friend.

Albel blinked. "I already told you," he said with skips in his voice. He seemed like he was going to crack any moment. " I don't remember you. I—Everything is just...smeared from my mind. Erased from my past," Albel said with unease like he was about to break out in tears.

"Fate," he said.

"Yes?"

" I need to ask you something."

Fate shivered. He almost knew what Albel was about to say.

"What is it?"

A pause.

"If I asked you if you liked me or not, what would you say?"

Fate laid his head on his pillow. "...Albel. I—I need to tell you something," he said shakily. "Something that I've been hiding forever," he said as he began to stare up at the ceiling like Albel had done before. Not saying anything between the two of them, Fate quietly got up from his bed and walked slowly over to Albel. He sat down next to him, then looking at the floor.

"It's times like this when I wish that the war was over. Then I could be able to enjoy anything I could, anytime I'd want to," He said. "Why do people have to be so ruthless as to go upon their ways without thinking and start a war from nothing? It's dumb. Who would want to start a war—or even being killed in the process of starting a war," he said, then switching his gaze from the floor to directly into Albel's crimson red eyes. Albel's response spelled out in his eyes.

"You can't change a war, Fate," he said.

"I know," he said. " But there is something that I can change." He said looking at Albel. He moved his head more closely and made sure that his lips were close to his ears.

"I don't like Sophia," he said quietly. "Because I like** you** better."

The storm outside began to calm right when Fate finished his sentence. Albel was stunned. How could he have been hiding this from him all these years? Could it be that Fate actually took his advice into consideration to **stop** playing around and to act like a war was going on? But, the fact was and still is, there still and may be a war going on. Two, to be precise. One, A battle for freedom between two colonies, and the second—a mere battle between love, or hate. Whichever path they choose, they'll always end up bumping heads, and colliding into each other. Each and every way is expressing two people with a hidden friendship. Or possibly—could it be...love?

Fate's eyes sparkle like the moon in the night harvest, but will Albel turn his head away, or accept their friendship as **too** friendly? Find out in part 2 of Chapter 2 (because this chapter was too short, and it had to end on that point, or else it wouldn't make sense.)

PART TWO, CHAPTER TWO

Sometimes, My love for You cannot Express Itself the way I want It To..

--

"Fate," Albel said in confusion. "I don't—"

"You don't** have **to understand what I mean. Because I'll tell you," He said, inching closer to Albel's pale face.

_"It's because I love you, Albel."_

Albel's lips were just centimeters away. Fate took on a few more and there was no more room for turning back. It was in that moment; that embarrassment of their odd friendship, that it had been to stop to an end. It was no longer a friendship. It was a relationship. It seemed that it could last a lifetime; that moment with the embrace of their differences. Finally, as if there were no more air to breathe, Fate departed his lips from Albel'sconfused face. Fate stood up in front of him, looking down at him like he was ashamed. He shook his head. "I thought it was real," he said. "But maybe—"

_Today, he will walk far to the east, far to the west, searching for his lover. _

_He will cry for his loss; yet he will laugh at the memories they had shared._

_Memories, he would say. A jumble of memories cannot control me. _

_From then on, he changed his whole course of life, forgetting every thing else._

_It cant possibly be that hard, now can it? Life, yes. It is hard. Do not underestimate what life throws upon you. He touched you. Don't let him fall away. The embrace of warmth is pleasing. Do not share this with any one else. Just me. Just him. We are alone. Together, this moment shall make me someone I have never been before. My emotions are controlling me, but it doesn't control me from loving you. My heart yearns for you, but now I am lost. Utterly and completely lost. I need someone to show me how I can make my way through this darkness that seems ever lasting. It will not surround me. Because you are here. I may have looked into your eyes a couple of times, but now when I see you, everything changes. Things are not the way they used to be. Life. Yes, I can enjoy life and hate it at the same time. _

_But mostly enjoying it with you, my precious love._

"Precious...love...so...precious.." Fate mumbled in his sleep. Albel was so stressful of his encounter with Fate before, he almost lost sight of the real consequence: Fate having dreams about it and talking in his sleep about it and Albel having to hear about it again while he's trying to sleep. Well, Albel did get to sleep eventually. But when he awoke he wished he had never gotten up.

What is Albel's encounter when he wakes up? Is it a nasty cup of coffee, or a nasty bed-head named...**FATE?** _Tune in for Chapter 3 of..._

_My heart to yours; your hand in mine_


	3. Signs of Another Half

_Chapter 3_

_Don't tell me I forgot the doctors appointment..._

"Albel," Fate said. "Albel, come on! Its time to wake uppp.." he said shaking him. Fate moved back slowly and sat down on his bedside. "Hmm...heavy sleeper, I suppose," he said. An Idea popped into his head. He smirked as evil as he never had before, and tip-toed over to the sleeping Albel. He turned Albel's head wayward to his and went in for the plan.

Smooooch!

When Fate was done, he departed his lips from Albel's; only to find that Albel had not even made so much as an effort to move. Fate frowned at this, but looked on the bright side of the story. "Well, at least I got a free kiss out of it!" He said with delight and walked out the door. "There should be some food at the breakfast bar," so with out subdue, he ran down the stairs, almost falling, and grabbed everything in sight of the snack bar.

Albel wiped his eyes—and his mouth from Fate's 'taken by surprise kiss'—and hopped out of bed. As soon as his feet touched the floor, he fell straight to his face.

"Too much training...Ow..." he grumbled. He struggled to get up. He did get up, but as soon as that was finished, he fell to his knees. "Gaah...this is a rip-off," he said. "How am I supposed to get any better when I cant even move the next day!" he yelled falling and pounding his fists to the hard wooden floor. Fate was pot-belied, walking through the door looking like Santa Claus; cheeks red and full with food, stomach filled with cheer—or food—and looking as jolly as he always did. Albel was shocked a bit, but he knew it was Fate.

"Umm...Hey, Fate," he said uneasy. Fate looked around a bit.

"Hey," he said lazily. Albel took it as a threat almost.

"Can't you see I just said 'hi'"? Albel growled.

"Oh, so I'm supposed to walk in here jumping around like a jelly bean?" he said sarcastically. Albel had had enough. "That' sit," he said while getting up. "I'm going to train." He said.

"B-But you're in no condition! Albel you can't—"

"I will. And you cant get in the way to stop me," he said walking past Fate, bumping his shoulder. Fate turned to look at him. "...Albel..." he said quietly.

Albel swinged his Katana around a couple of times. He used his arm that had been replaced with a metal arm; his left arm. He didn't feel any pain at first which was good. But something practically stabbed him straight through the heart.

Dodging and pretending the enemy was alive was embarrassing to Albel, but it was the only way to train. What else was he supposed to do? Pretend he was a teapot?

When he plunged his Katana into the dummy which had been planted into the ground stuffing spewed out. Then, some fell on his foot. He let out an enormous yell.

"Gaaaaaaahh...(pant).That's the last time I do that much (pant) training," he said.

"Are you sure?"

Albel looked around; clueless.

"Or are you too scared to fight me?" the ghostly voice said.

"Wha? Who's there?" Albel yelled looking around.

"Hmm-hmm-hmmm... Not fast enough, my precious puppet," the voice said. Something from behind Albel struck him in the back and pierced through his skin. He fell helplessly to the ground gasping.

"You're...not real," he said.

" O-ho-ho! Yes I am! I'm as real as you're relationship with that blue haired boy," the voice mocked him.

"You're only...a...pigment of my. ..imagination," Albel coughed. He looked at what the result had occurred to. He was coughing out his own blood.

"Hmm...Scared? Why, I wouldn't expect this from Albel the Wicked," it said.

"Shut up..." Albel said. "You can't control me."

"Oh, but I can. You see, I am what you say and think. Only, it's different, really. I'm more of your other half," it said. Albel's pupils shrank.

"A-Another...half...?" he said slowly.

"Yes, that's precisely why I've come. I've come to blow you from existence! This is my world! My chance to feel real emotions, to touch anything at will!" the voice got louder and it echoed through Albel's mind.

"And it'll be much easierif that boyis outof the way," it said calmly.

"No...you...can't...he—"

"He's special to you? Aww... that's touching. Too bad there's no time for compassion on my world," it said. Now Albel could see his other half standing in front of him. He was shocked. It trailed into his veins and all his soul and his other half took over.

"Haaa haa ha! Yes! This power! It—It's INCREDIBLE! Such anger! This madness, it's refreshing! Yes! YES!" it said. Albel panted as heavily as possible. He covered his ears and screamed.

Fate heard a scream.

This is just the beginning of it all, folks! TUNE IN FOR CHAPTER 4!

Authors note:  
Okay, my cheesy-ness with the endings is probably getting old by now. (smiles geekily) It'll stop soon enough, don't worry. I feel like going on a chapter submitting spree, so I'll give you more FaytxAlbel goodness! Please keep reading because your devotion to Fayt and Albel is brighter than the sun! Thank you, and oyasumiiiiii!


	4. A Pitiful Existance

Chapter 4

Something inside my mind, that I cannot gain nor lose.

--

Albel screamed as loud as he could leaving only the 'thing' he had encountered only seconds before to laugh and mock him.

"You...you can't control me!" Albel screamed. The voice laughed and laughed, leaving Albel feeling like an idiot. He was filled with rage, hatred, and a sense of sleepiness. He immediately fell to the ground, feeling the lightness of the air pull him down as he fell. He let out a small breath of air, and after a while he held his hand to his stomach.

"Get...out..of me!" He screamed pulling inside of his body, which wasn't as hard as it looked. The voice moved from place to place reminding Albel of those times he'd wished that he had forgotten.

Fate ran out the door.

"Albel!" Fate screamed. He ran over to Albel as soon as he found him, and he studied him carefully.  
"..." Fate breathed heavily. He touched Albel's skin as though Albel were dead. He was trying to figure out why Albel's eyes werefilled with such hate, anger, and raw emotions. Raw emotions, Fate thought. That must be why he's acting like this. With all that in mind, Fate touched Albel's hand. Albel's eyes opened, and to what he saw, he did not believe.

"F-F-Fate..?" He asked wearily. Fate stared down to the ground.

"Albel," he said softly. "What's going on?"

Albel drifted off somewhere. Somewhere, he did not know of for certain. "He," Albel said. "He came back. He came back just for me, to torture me. Just so he could get all his high glory. Well, it doesnt matter. Because he can't---"

"Albel!" Fate yelled. He touched Albel's shoulder. Albel looked at him in a half-determined gaze.

"Fate, he's already..."

"ALLBEL!"

I fear, sometimes, that I won't ever see him again. I mean that—what I'm trying to say is—That he'll be blown from existence, once and for all. Like he'll...die. I know that it's ridiculous to think about those things but...I do care about him. He means that much, I mean, he does anything for me. Well, at least, most of anything. He'll actually listen to me when I have something to say, when I want to tell him something that I know someday that will change our lives forever. I can fantasize, but, I think that this may be real. What will happen if he opens his mouth to speak, but he cannot? Are there no emotions in his mind that concern me? What will happen when we bump heads again? What happens if I cant tell him that I'm going to kiss him and he woun't respond?

_Will the embrace...be...gone?_

_...What...then?_

"Albel!" Fate yelled as he shook his body numerous times. "Albel, don't—" he said.

"DON'T LEAVE ME!"

Fate's voice echoed and echoed through Albel's mind, racing and racing through him. He shook his head to try to get rid of the sound in his troubled mind and it actually worked.

Fate was sound asleep in the other bed with his breathing so soft that Albel couldn't hear him. He could have sworn that Fate was dead.

Albel looked around the room as if he had never seen it before in his whole life. His drowsiness, sleepiness, and hatred ran through his body many times. He had felt this before; it wasn't mysterious to him at all. Pain. That's what he felt.

"...Fate.." he said. He knew that Fate couldn't hear him, but he still spoke to him.

"I'll never leave you," he said remembering the thing in his mind that Fate had said to him before.

"DON'T LEAVE ME!"

Albel flinched, and he felt his heart pounding madly. He remembered that moment, which almost seemed like a mere dream that he had. More or less, a nightmare. He might as well thought that it was reality if he got the chance to look at things more carefully while they happened.

"Even if you'd done something terrible, I'll still never leave you. You can hate me as much as you can. I woun't care. If you said you wanted to kill me. I'll still be standing there beside you. If someone overtook you and you couldn't control yourself..." Albel drifted off.

Fate turned over. He stared at Albel for a moment.

"You were awake the whole time, weren't you?" Albel asked.

"Sadly enough, yes." Fate replied.

Albel looked out the window to switch his gaze. He didn't really like that Fate wasn't actually asleep. He just let out emotions that Fate never knew he had.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to know that—"

Albel looked at Fate.

"Th-That I—" He said slowly.

"You want to tell me something, more or so ask me something, is that right?" he asked.

"Well I—"

A pause.

"Albel, something's been bugging me," he said.

"What, Sophia?" he replied laughing as well. Fate laughed.

"Yes," Fate said. "But that's not it," he said. Albel lowered his eyes a bit and looked down at the floor.

"That...thing, Albel," he said. "Why did it want...you?"

Something pinched Albel in his stomach, leaving him breathing so heavily.

"Why?" he said again.

Albel sighed.

"I can't say for certain ---"

Fate looked over at him straight in the eye to see if he could tell what Albel was thinking.

"That 'thing'...its not a thing. It's a person. A pigment of my imagination.." he said quietly. "I only wanted to stay away from him, not draw attention to him."

Fate studied Albel to soak it all in.

"He came to me, I didn't want him here. His mind is twisted. He'll do anything for himself even if it means to mindlessly kill someone," Albel said.

"Oh," Fate said.

"Why..." Fate said. "Why is all this bad stuff happening? Its terrible! Why cant there be peace for once! There's a war going on, someone is after you and tormenting you, Sophia is still getting in the way of things that I know she shouldn't be getting in the way of," he said.

"For instance," Albel continued.

"Us."

There was a meaning to all that just happened. The things that all tied together and made up true understanding. Although it was confusing at first, Fate started to figure out what was going on.

"Albel," Fate said. "I –I think I know where you're getting these ideas from," Fate said like he was scared almost.

"Could it be that...that person that was there with you…could it be the aftermath of your...father?" Fate said. Albel caught a glimpse of what Fate meant. He wasn't sad about it, or truly angered. He was glad he knew, for now he knew how the person who was his father at death, would stop bothering him. He could defeat his own mind. It would just take a lot of thinking and mostly—time.

"Fate, I think you might be right," Albel said. He just saw something in his eyes. He felt dizzy and covered his forehead.

"Albel! Are you okay?" Fate asked.

"Yeah," Albel said. "Yeah, I'm fine..." He looked down to the floor, as though he were not able to look anywhere else. "I just...saw something," Albel replied to Fate. "I saw that...I remembered something that my father had warned me about previously..."

" **You pathetic boy. If you cant beat me, then who possibly can? I am the true meaning of 'power', Albel. If you can't understand that, then I dont think you'll ever understand anything!"**

**"No! That's not true!"**

"**Of course it's true. I've known you all my life, Albel. You're my son. And you always have been—"**

**"I'd rather be the son of Aquaria!"**

"**Albel? What is this—betrayal?"**

"**I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD BE YOUR SON ANYMORE! I DONT HAVE THE RIGHT TO CALL YOU FATHER!"**

**"Albel, now that is ridiculous—"**

"**The only thing that's ridiculous is you, father, or should I say Glou."**

**"...I am very ashamed of you Albel." **

" **I'm glad you are."**

"**Be warned. I will come back. Even after death. I will haunt you, torment you, as if I were a spirit from the darkest mind. Soon, Albel. Soon.."**

Albel shook his head in doubt. "I'm sure that's what he meant," Albel said.

Fate looked at Albel for a long time, because all that time Albel was re-enacting that in his mind, he was staring at Albel for the longest time waiting for his reply.

"Do you think you can...defeat him?" Fate asked.

"That's a silly thing to ask!" Albel said with a smile. "Of course I can beat 'em!"

Fate smiled.

"Right on!"

Albel strode off into the place where he first encountered his father and in his ghostly presence at the time. He looked toward his father and gave him a stern look and did not move. He acted like a statue until his father made the first move. Albel's father, Glou, took a shot at his son's stomach. Luckily Albel dodged it before his father could reach him.

" I see you have gained power since then," Glou said in a patient voice.

"Your'e tired already, Glou," Albel said hastily. He couldn't help but notice his father was gasping. "Could it be your arrogance weighing you down?" Albel spoke rather arrogantly himself. This was only a ploy to annoy his father to catch him off guard.

"Why you little…" Glou proceeded in hitting his son again but missed.

"Glou, I'm very ashamed. After all these years I've become better than you have," Albel mimicked him. "You're just a coward."

"Watch what you say, boy!" Glou cried. Albel looked down on his father when Glou fell. "I can't believe you," he said painfully.

"Why don't you just leave me alone? What do you want from me!" Albel screamed. "Is it yourdark pastthat overcomes you with jealously? Tell me, Glou!" Albel said as he kicked his father.  
"How…" he continued. "How could you do this to your own father, Albel…?"

Albel flinched with discust and great surprise. "What are you talking about!" he shouted throwing his arm to the side. "Your'e the one who's been tourturing me ever since I was still just a boy!" Albel yelled at his father. "Was this my fate, Glou…?"

Glou grabbed the ground that was below him. He screamed.

His eyes lowered and he entered a calmer zone. "We...I never treated you like that, Albel--"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut UP!" Albel yelled and charged toward his father. Emotions overflowed Albel and he could not control himself. He got out his sword and used it against Glou.

"I don't care if your'e my father! I don't care about you or what you have to say! I'll still never forget the way you treated me, Glou! Forever, a grudge will be upon you!" Albel screamed. He was taunting his father as well as fighting him. Terror ran across Glou's face.

Fayt was silently waiting in the inn while Albel was solving his family relationship.

"I guess it's no use to sit here and do nothing," Fayt said to himself.

He walked around the inn just looking at things. Untill Sophia showed up, Fayt was all by himself.

"Hi Fayt," she said hapily. Fayt turned around cautiously.

"Hey," Fayt answered back. He let his back fall against the wall he was looking at.

"So your'e just looking around the inn? How boring," she said chuckling.

"Yeah basicly," he said lazily. Sophia tilted her head.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong? You look kind of… I don't know sick," she said concerned.

Fayt pushed his back off the wall and then sort of walked away. "What are you, my mother? I'm not a baby, jeeze…" he said looking away from Sophia.

"Fayt, you can tell me anything," she said. Fayt hesitated.

" I don't think that's true," he said afraid. Sophia walked in front of him.

"Seriously, stop acting all sad. I don't like it when you're like this," she said.

"Well I don't exactly like you either," Fayt mumbeled.

Sophia flinched. "C-come again?"

Noticing he had said that aloud, Fayt said, "Nothing."

Fayt walked away but Sophia caught his shoulder. "Fayt," she said deeply. "Please. It drives me insane when people act like this," she said. "Please just tell me anything and I'll be fine."

Fayt glared at her. " I can't tell you. You'd…. be surprised," he said.

"I don't understand! Why wont you just tell me?"

"Because you'll be hurt when I tell you!" Fayt screamed.

Sophia stood there scared because of Fayt's blow up.

"You wouldn't understand. And if I tell you, you'd only end up crying, and I hate to see it when people cry," he said almost like he was lying.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I really… I promise. I wont cry," she said. "If it's that bad."

Fayt stared at her for a while and concentrated on how he was going to break the news to her.

"I---"

-END-

Chapter 4


	5. Secrets concealed Promises broken

"Glou!"

"Albel!"

They screamed at each other until their voices were gone. Action would settle their problems. There was no room for talking.

Before the talking began, they were deathly tired. Both of them slowly tried to recover, but harsh twists were pulling their muscles apart.

"You…have been….practicing," Glou exauhstedly said, "have….have you not?"

Albel said nothing.

"Don't … give me the silent…treatment," Glou said regaining his heart rate.

"I don't care," Albel said. "...you are the biggest lie this world has ever created," he said with anger. "Were you created from hell, Glou!" Albel screamed. He got up and walked away slowly.

Glou sat there furious. "Albel…"

"I—"

Fayt flinched. "Why don't we sit down," he said.

"O-okay," Sophia sat down.

"I… I have a really weird secret," he said. "I'm just not willing to tell you."

"Fayt, you don't have to be afraid. The only time when you're needing to be afraid is when you're thinking that you're afraid.In time,you could be strong and overcome your fears," she continued. "I could say some pretty secret things too."

Fayt smiled. "I'm sorry, I just need a little time to clear my head.," he said grabbing his forehead. "I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"I see," she said. She put her arm around him and she moved him back and forth in a soothing motion. "It's okay, just tell me all you feel confused about and afterwards you'll feel a lot better," she suggested.

"Albel, well he…." Fayt blushed. "He's my friend now."

"Fayt…how did you ever make friends with him?" she asked laughing,

"This isn't a joke," Fayt said seriously. "We really are friends."

Sophia felt dumbfounded, but she calmed down. "Really, Fayt that's wonderful." She said kindly.

"No, but there's more," Fayt said. Sophia looked at Fayt through his dark green eyes.

"M-more?" she asked.

Fayt nodded. "Yes."

"Sophia… I'm really sorry if you take this the wrong way. We're still friends, even after this's happened. I'm really….not _just_ friends with him… I'm—"

"In love with Albel."

Sophia sat there. She didn't know what to do, say, or think. Fayt _loved_ Albel? Could this be some kind of twisted joke?

"I—Fayt…." Sophia said calmly. Her heart was beating at a very fast pace. "Is it me or is it stuffy in here?" she asked trying to change the subject. The fact was, she wasn't hot, she was just really confused and her heart was going so fast.

"I don't want to die, I don't want to die," Sophia's heart was chanting. "Be still my heart, be still!" she cried inside her silent mind, and her very confused and helpless heart.

She fell to the ground. Sophia's heart was gone. It had been stolen from…

…him.

Albel was limping and he couldn't walk very well.

"Why did I over exert myself? I could have taken him with my bare hands…"

Albel looked over the hill and wherever else there was around it. The grass was flowing in the wind, and the sun was setting. It was peaceful. Very…. Peaceful.

It was as if time had run still, and nothing bad was going on. It almost felt like Albel hadn't even seen his father that day. All around him—his surroundings—made him feel tranquil inside. Sort of a getaway from life, and problems that everyone faces.

He just didn't know where to go. All of the sudden, Fayt came running out the door of the inn. Albel was shocked, surprised, and happy to see Fayt. He couldn't stop his heart from beating; and intesity that couldn't be stopped. Albel still didn't know what to do.

"A---(huff) Albel!" Fayt said with Sophia on his back. Albel sat therenot caring much.

"Sophia passed out all of the sudden," he said still trying to catch his breath.

"What did you do!" Albel screamed. Fayt was too busy wheezing to answer his question.

"I ---I told her about us," Fayt said. Albel felt something inside his body snap. It must've been his brain or, rather more specifically, his heart went into failure.

"She just…. passed out?" Albel questioned.

"Probably from shock," Fayt said like he knew exactly what happened. The fact was, nobody knew what happended.

Sophia started to regain some of her conciousness, but not all of it. Her eyes were softly open and she spoke lightly as if her voice were faded and old.

"Fayt...what exactly happened?" she asked in the sillhouette of her almost gone voice. Fayt almost started to have tears well up in his eyes.

"We don't know, Sophia," he said calmly.

"We?" she asked. "Who's we?" Fayt looked down.

"Albel and I," he said trying to not sound unsteady. Sophia looked terrified.

"Sophia? What's wrong?" Fayt asked.

She shook her head in disbeleif. "Nothing."

Albel looked at Fayt. Then Fayt looked at Albel. Fayt shrugged, because he had no idea what she had in mind either. Albel agreed.

"If I hadn't noticed any sooner," Fayt continued. "I'd say that I've grown taller!"

Albel looked at Fayt in discust. "Tct," he thought. "Fool." Albel thought in his mind.

"There's no time for jokes," he said. "So stop fooling around!" Albel shouted.

Fayt laughed. "Sorry, sorry! Jeeze.." he said, getting back to buisness.

Fayt studied her, seeing if she'd hurt herself when she fell. Fayt got too carried away and started to study Sophia like she was a doll on display. Albel wasn't paying attention, but as soon as he realized it he grabbed a stickand threw it at Fayt's head.

"You have work to do," he said, annoyed. "Lots of it."

Fayt lowered his eyes and sighed. "Sorry," he apologized.

"Yeah, well say that to Sophia!"

"I wasn't the one who made her pass out!" Fayt yelled.

Albel walked away, looking over the horizon where the sun was setting. It was a beautiful day, and so much happened. Sometimes it just doesn't feel right when you're very sad, but the day is quite beautiful.

Fayt broke Albel's concentration. "Why don't you make yourself useful and get some washcloths for her head," Fayt said very loudly. Albel was far off, as if he wanted to be away from Fayt.

With nothing said from him, Albel walked off to retrieve the washcloths. In fact, he had no idea where he would get them. Once he was in the inn, he could just ask, that's all. Or, there might be some first-aid kits in any available rooms. He thought of the remaining possibilities, and forgot them. It was too much to handle.

Albel walked to the front desk. There stood a woman who looked very farmiliar.

"Excuse me, do you have any washcloths around?" Albel asked.

The woman looked up from her working place. "Oh," she stared at Albel.

"You look…quite farmiliar," she said slowly. Albel distorted his face.

The woman forgot what she had said earlier and attended to Albel's needs.

Albel was waiting for a long time. Finaly when she showed up, there was no washcloth in her hand. Albel looked very confused.

"I'm sorry, we've ran out of washcloths," she said very disapointingly.

Albel was annoyed. "This is for an emergency, though! Can't you even understand that?" Albel shouted.

People looked at him. They started to talk and whisper. Albel looked at them with his eyes very dialated. What's wrong with them? What kind of cruelness is this being demonstrated?

Albel looked away from their ugly faces and looked at the woman one more time before he had left. He gave her a very warning look as if he was wanting her to stay away from him.

As Albel was walking up the hill, he noticed that Fayt and Sophia were not there. Maybe they just moved somewhere else, he thought, and looked around for the two.

About an hour later, Albel started to think that those two might've left. But where off to?

Albel turned around to hear someone coming up the hill. It was Peppitta.

"What're you doing here?" Albel asked obnocsiously.

"What am I doing here?" she mimicked. "Well, I was just taking a walk."

"A…walk?" Albel asked confused.

"Yes, a walk," she snapped. "I was going to help you find whatever it was you were looking for, but I've changed my mind," she said to try to get Albel to cheer up.

Albel flinched. "But that's not—"

"Life isn't fair," she said holding her finger up to Albel's lips. She winked happily, and walked away. Albellowered himself because he had to bend down to talk to Peppitta; considering the height difference. Peppitta walked away from Albel to try to get him to change moods. He watched her sway her arms around as she was facing the edge of a steep hill. The sunset gave her skin an orange-like glow.

"All right," Albel said loudly. "What do you want?"

Peppitta turned around innocently. "What do I want?"

"Just cut to the chase already!" Albel mocked.

"See? This is exactly why you don't get what you deserve! Your'e always cutting people down, and that wount help you any more!" she lectured. She acted very mature for her age; now at least.

Albel sighed. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry," he said embarassed.

"Louderrrr!"

"I'm sorry!" Albel said loudly.

"Still can't hear youu---"

"I'M SORRY!" Albel yelled so loud that almost everyone could hear him.

"Okay, well you could've done that a little quieter," she fumbled.  
Albel groaned in pain. He knew he had to put up with this in order to find out what she knew, but… Why did it have to be her, of all people?

Albel calmed down and sat under a nearby tree. The brushing of the trees was a peaceful sound; it gave you a sign tojust relax and not bedisturbed by anything.

"You can sit down if you want to," Albel asked shyly.

Peppitta fumbled. "O-o-ooh, that's okay," she said. "I'll just stand and listen."

Albel looked up at her. "Okay then."

"That boy with the blue hair? Hmm… I think I know his name…" Peppitta walked across the grass lightly.

Albel looked confused. "Of course you know his name," he said. "Haven't you been paying any attention at all to what's been happening? How could you fight with him when you don't even know his name? Albel yelled.

Peppitta waffed her hand to calm him down. Maybe she got tired, Albel thought, because now she's sitting down.

"Ohh… I know I know him, but his name is so hard to remember!" she shook her head to show her confusement. Albel managed to laugh, but stopped himself in his footsteps.

_Wait a minute… Since when have I been laughing so much? And … why do I feel… happy? What's happening to me!_

Albel sort of 'thought out loud', because he was grabing his head and shaking it back and forth.

"Are you alright Mr.?" She asked shyly. Albel gave her a very tired look, and he got up and walked down the hill.

"Hey wait a minute! Didn't you wanna knowsomethin' about your friends?" she yelled.

"Oh please," he mocked. "I have no friends."

End, Chapter 5


	6. Blood Stained Upon Glass

Start, Chapter 6.

Peppitta stood there thinking about Albel's reply. "He has friends," she said angered. "I'm your'e friend Albel, don't you see that?" She flung herself down on the ground, shaking her head and moaning. She didn't want to deal with all of this madness. She just wanted to relax and enjoy life. Not watch it fall to pieces when there's nothing you can do about it.

Albel was walking around the town of Peterny. He saw lots of worried looks on peoples faces. He wasn't sure if they were scared of him, or some other bother in their lives. Now he, too, held a worried expression. He almost started to feel a dark depth of depression around him, but shook it off and walked quickly.

"Where could those two be?"Albel thought. "It should'nt be too hard to find a boy with blue hair carrying a girl—" Albel was cut off by what he was seeing in front of him. There Fayt was, holding Sohpia lightly in his arms; looking around the strange town.

Albel hesitated to bring Fayt's attention. "Fayt!" Albel yelled, waving his hand in the air showing that he was trying to call him. Fayt didn't answer. He walked forward, letting Albel asume he had heard him. Although when Fayt approached, he and Sophia completley passed through him, like he was a ghost. He shuddered and turned around quickly, trying to catch Fayt's arm. This, however, failed, of course, and his hand was simply made into a fist. Instead of grabbing Fayt's arm, he grabbed only the air that was in between them.

"Fayt? Can you hear me at all?" Albel asked breathlessly. The coldness he could feel inside of him was unbearable and he couldn't withstand its enormous power. It flowed directly through his heart, his lungs; his whole body. It racked his brain madly, and Albel dropped to the ground.

"What kind of town is this!" He shouted in shrieking pain. Suddenly all the coldness he felt was broken by the reassuring voice of someone he knew.

"Albel," the voice chanted over and over again. Albel awoke with his eyes very tear filled. His whole body ached, and his muscles felt tight. His head was hurting badly, like someone was pounding it with a hammer.

Again, the voice said, "Albel?"

Albel now opened his eyes, letting one single tear fall down his face.

Albel's vision cleared and he could make out the faces of the two people. There was Fayt, crouching over be side him, and Sophia, standing off in the distance looking terribly worried.

"Albel." Fayt said happily, but yet there was no smile on his face. " What happened? You collasped on the ground and fainted," he said now, worried.

Albel hadn't the slightest clue what Fayt was talking about. "What?" he asked.

"Fayt," Sophia said. "I think Albel may have amnesia," she explained. "He probobly doesn't remember one single thing that happened."

"He probobly doesn't," Fayt said looking towards Sophia. Albel began to blush. He didn't really like people talking about him too much. Fayt turned toward Albel again.

"Why are you blushing!" he laughed, but this only made Albel blush more, making it hard to describe why.

"Uh…" Albel scratched his head and laughed, "I don't know what your'e talking about."

Fayt stared at him dumbfounded, then turned to Sophia. She shrugged and laughed very weakily. Figures, Fayt thought.

"You don't remember anything at all?" he asked desperatley.

"The only thing I don't remember is when I fainted. The rest I havent forgotten yet," he said.

"What? What's the rest?" Fayt asked curiously.

Albel flinched. "Uh… Well, I still remember you and…" he looked over to Sophia, and she was pointing to herself trying to get Albel to remember her.

"Who's that?" Albel asked deeply. Fayt slapped his forehead.

"Albel—" Fayt was cut off by Sophia running towards Albel.

"You don't remember me, huh? I guess I'll just have to make you remember!"

Fayt screamed and stood in front of Sophia so she couldn't get to Albel.

"Fayt, get out of the way!" she screamed. Fayt didn't move from where he was standing. He gave her a stern look.

"Sophia, you shouldn't use violence to try to make Albel remember who you are," he continued. "Who knows, he may remember after a whille. Just give him some time, and I'm sure he'll remember sooner or later. Right Albel?"

Albel wasn't really paying attention but a little after he realized and quickly replied back, "Uhh.. Right!" he smiled brightly.

Fayt sighed. He put his hand up to his forehead and pulled some hair back to show he was exhausted. "I wonder where the others are?"

"Yeah," Sophia chanted. "It's like they disappeared or somethi—"

There was a faint, but loud explosion.

" Huh? What's—What's going on?" Fayt screamed. Soon the sky turned a little darker, and the sun began to hide behind the dark clouds. Sophia hid behind Fayt.

"Albel," Fayt said. "Do you think it came from the inn?"

Albel examined the building and thought very quietly to himself. "Might be."

"Then let's go," he said. "If were lucky, maybe no one will be harmed."

Sophia behind Fayt, and Fayt behind Albel, they walked slowly in the building. Quickly their attention turned to the desk clerk.

"Hurry, get out of here!" the clerk said. "There's been an explosion in the kitchen!"

Albel smirked. "Thanks for giving us a free answer," he said happily. He ran off quickly whille the others followed up behind him. Sophia ran back to the clerk quickly and bowed.

"I'm terribly sorry," she said.

"Well," the desk clerk said as he watched Sophia run off to catch up with the others. "I suppose it cant be helped."

Albel swung open the doors of the kitchen and walked back a couple of inches. There was red everywhere. Fire, blood, and sadness spread all over the room. Sophia screamed at the horrible sight and ran away crying. Fayt looked back and almost ran after her.

"She'll be fine," Albel told Fayt comfortingly. Fayt studied Albel's face closley, and for a long whille he realized Albel had been acting strangley happy these past few days. He wasn't bitter, cruel, or violent anymore. He was just… kind.

Albel stepped back one footstep and Fayt followed. "What are we supposed to do?" Fayt screamed over the roaring fire. Albel did not answer, because he was trying to find if the person who did this was still there. If they were there, they might have been trying to figure the same thing Albel was trying to figure out.

"…" Albel was silent for long stretches of time. "Do you still know symbology?"

"Of course I do," Fayt said confidently.

"Then now would be a really good time to use it!" Albel said uneasily. Fayt hesitated, and finaly preformed the appropriate symbology to put out the fire. Of course, he had to do this multiple times to put the fire out, and eventually it did work.

Fayt breathed, out of exauhstion, a long sigh. "Albel, you see anything yet?"

"No, not yet." He said. Fayt peered over where Albel was standing and tried to see or spot something to solve this mystery. Of course, like Albel had, he saw nothing.

The desk clerk ran towards them thanking them for putting the fire out.

"If only there was something I could do for you two," he said greatfully. "Would you two like a free room? No expenses are paid!"

Albel and Fayt's faces turned apple red. Fayt was the one to answer, but very quietly. "N-n-n-no thank you," he whimpered.

That night, Fayt had a hard time sleeping. This horrible thing was keeping him awake; he couldn't shut his eyes without seeing the torture of it. He covered his head in spite of the tremendous pain he was going through. He tried to get up to get some medicine but his legs refused to move. He felt blazing hot. His breathing kept it's normal pace for a whille, but until now… he could practically breathe at all.

He tried searching for answers to solve his problem in that old, musty room. But nothing was there. He was the only person living in that room. He was just barely.

His stomach felt empty, hollow, and bottomless. He tried to breathe in; which he succeeded in, but failed to breathe out. Air was pumeling in his stomach that had to be let out. Eventually, he couldn't withstand the air he couldn't let out and finally, he dropped to the ground and let all of his air out slowly.

Albel heard a loud thud that came from the room next door. It faded away as soon as Albel flung the rooms door open. He was terrified at what he had seen. He stood breathlessly trying to figure out what had happened.

"F---Fayt?" he asked.

Fayt gave no signal of reply, he just sat there; lying dead-like on the floor. Maybe, in some impossible way, he was dead?

Albel shook his head in disagreement. "Why is it that I always lose those that are close to me!" he thought. "That's… that's what happened to…Glou," he closed his eyes.

He began to cry. Albel screamed and let out all his emotions. Out of his eyes came numerous streams of tears and he fell to his knees. He tried to think of something that would help Fayt. He didn't know if he was dead or not. So, he grabbed his right hand in his, and cried. Most of his tears came onto Fayt's hand. This was how Albel tried to bring someone back to life? What was this, some kind of twisted joke...?

As Albel continued to settle down, he still took his hands in Fayt's.

"Why…" he cried. "Why does this always have to happen?"

Fayt's eyes began to open. All he could see was complete darkness. He tried getting up, and he did this sucsessfully.

"Hello?" he shouted. "Is anyone there?"

No one was there. It was only him who was there; standing in darkness.

"Albel?" he shouted. "Anyone! Please! Just say something to let me know I'm not the only one here!"

Fayt stood there waiting for some kind of a reply. All he got was the echoes of his voice, trailing throughout the dark. His eyes started to dialate, and he fell to the floor.

"I'm…" he mumbled. "…alone."

There were cracking noises, those of breaking glass. Shaddered pieces of glass fell towards Fayt, but he was too vulnerable to dodge them. They peirced him in his back, into his feet, and into his heart. He sat there still, not even showing the slightest cry of pain. In fact, he could'nt **feel** any pain.

He got up hesitantly, and laid his hands out in front of him. "Wh…at?"

Glass rained all over and shaddered to the floor. It was raining glass, and blood dripped from Fayt. Still, he couldn't feel any pain. Light surrounded him and it overcame the darkness. He looked up and gazed upon it as though he had never seen light before. He tried to look at it closely, and he couldn't. It was too bright. He flung his arm to his eyes to protect his eyes from being permanently damaged.

A breeze. A breeze of air flew across his face and touched his skin lightly. He didn't open his eyes because he couldn't. It was like they were frozen.

He felt something against his arm. It felt like a hand that was holding closely to him; a hand that would protect him. His feet were dangling wildly, and he still felt confused. Why didn't I feel any pain? He asked himself. Was it because of this…'thing' or was it because—

End Chapter 6.


	7. Agatha

Start, Chapter 8.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Fayt slowly got up, and opened his eyes. They weren't frozen anymore.

She looked at him muchmore than he wanted her to, and he blushed.

"My, you are a very interesting creature!" she smiled.

"Wh-Who are you?" he asked.

"Oh," she fumbled. "How rude of me!"

She got up and picked up a bowl. It had a spoon in it used for crushing up medicine.

Whille she was crushing she continued to talk. "I am not a human, you see, I am a…"

Fayt sneezed. His head flew forward, and his eyes watered enourmously.

She laughed. "My! That was very odd."

Fayt wiped his nose. "It wasn't odd," he explained. " I just sneezed…"

She looked at him oddly. "I'd better get this medicine ready right away, then."

Fayt watched her work slowly, and with care. "So what happened to me?"

She stopped working. "What happened to you?" she echoed. "Hmm…" she started to walk and Fayt followed her.

"You may not know what happened, but you do know that you are alive, do you not?" she said this very wisely. "You shouldn't be walking. You are in no condition to."

"But I feel fine," Fayt said as he moved around. He stretched to show her that he was okay.

"Ah," she continued. "It is your heart that needs this medicine. It needs to settle down and remain at a normal pace," she said.

"But.." Fayt continued. "I don't understand."

"You don't have to understand," she said. "You just have to settle down and think over what you've accomplished and what you've yet to face."

Fayt looked at her very trustingly, and decided to take her advice. Who was she? He thought. She wasn't a human, at least that's what she said she wasn't… And how did she not know what a sneeze was? Usually, creatures that aren't humans are more intellegent to the human body. So— Ugh… This is way too confusing.

The 'woman' gave the bowl to Fayt after she had added water to it and had stirred it. "Now," she said. "Drink up."

Fayt looked inside the bowl. "I'm supposed to **drink** this?" he said in discust.

"It will make you feel better—" she stopped. "No, it will make your heart feel better."

Fayt wasn't sure if he could trust this 'woman'. For one thing, he didn't even know what she was, second, he didn't know if she was with him or against him, and third…. Did she know how to prepare medicine properly?

"This could kill me!" Fayt thought. "I don't want to take any unnesecary chances!"

Fayt shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I just cant drink this—"

The woman lifted the bowl up into his mouth and forced him to drink it. After he was finished, he gasped and grabbed his throat.

"…I knew…this wasn't ….a good…idea," he panted.

"Oh, pish posh," the woman grumbled. "Nothing bad will happen!"

"That's easy for you to say!" Fayt yelled. "How do you know this isn't some medicine for non-human creatures!"

"Ah-ah-ah!" she wagged her finger. "You need to rest. It is time you settled down and thought about what—"

"I know that!" Fayt said. "But how is that supposed to help me?"

"All you need is time."

Fayt settled down and thought, "Ah forget it… I might as well do what she says. Who knows, maybe when I wake up I'll feel good as new…"

"Now," she continued. "You'll sleep for prescisley 4 days—"

" 4 DAYS!" Fayt screamed.

"Hush, child!" the woman yapped. "You **must** calm down before the medicine starts to act defectivley!"

Fayt calmed down; still with a steamed side. "…" he hesitated and calmed down a bit before he spoke. "…Fine."

"Then, like I said, you will sleep for 4 days, with no interuptions, sudden wake-ups, or disturbing nightmares…" she continued. "All you have to do is relax."

"Alright," Fayt said calmly. "Sounds easy enough."

"This is not a game—" she stopped. "Did I catch your name by chance?"

Fayt laughed a little. "No," he said. "And my name is Fayt."

"Ah," she laughed. "What a very nice name…"

"Oh," he realized. "What's your name?"

She hesitated to answer him. "Well…"

Fayt waited eagerly for her answer. " I…I don't have a name," she continued. "I don't have a **real** name."

"But…is there something that people call you?" Fayt asked.

The woman hesitated. "Yes."

"What is it?"

" 'That thing'," she relpied sadly. "Everyone teases me because I'm…" she continued. "…different."

Fayt frowned. "That's awful!" he yelled. "Who calls you this?"

"Everyone."

Fayt flinched. "W…hat?" he said breathlessly. "That's…cruel and unusual," he whispered.

"That is why I don't have a name," she said sadly.

"But you have to have a name," he explained. "You may just not know it."

She looked at him with hopes, but whille she was waiting, Fayt was trying to think of a name for her.

"There has to be something…" he whispered whilled holding his hand to his mouth. "What about…Agatha?"

"Agatha is a wonderful name!" she shouted. "I would certainly love that name!"

"You can keep it, Agatha," Fayt said softly.

She looked aroundvery embarassedand tried to thank Fayt for his kindness.

"Thank you for all that you've done," she said. "I am truly grateful."

"But," Fayt said slowly. "I didn't do much!"

"Still, you have given me a name and now no one shall ever call me a 'thing'!"

She danced around and Fayt laughed. It was like she wasa whole different person.

Four Days Later…

Fayt yawned and felt really drowsy. "Wow." He said. "I feel so…tired."

He looked around and he was still in Agatha's house. He didn't know what to do or where to go next. All he was thinking about was how tired he was.

"Ah, I see you're up." Agatha said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Fayt yawned. "But I still feel really tired."

She looked around comfortingly. "That's supposed to happen." Fayt studied her. She was old, actually really old, but how old was she? She'd probobly tell me she was 1,000 years old or something, Fayt thought. He decided not to ask her; it would be rude.

"I suppose you could stay a little longer," she said. "You may need a little preperation for what lies ahead."

"What…" Fayt asked. "…lies ahead?"

She looked Fayt square in the eye. "You will soon find out."

Fayt decided that her answer was good enough and kicked his feet off of his bed. He sat upright, although slacking a bit, he managed to get comfertable easily. He rubbed his head of all he thought about before his long slumber.

"Was I dreaming?" Fayt thought. "Although Agatha said that I wouldn't have any nightmares. Was it a nightmare?"

_I looked slowly around the town of Peterny and sat down on a bench with nothing to do. Suddenly Albel sat down there beside me and started to talk. I couldn't hear his voice or the words that were coming out of his mouth. I was trying to lip-read but it was too impossible. I just couldn't listen to Albel's voice anymore. Then he stared at me making a horrible, worried face. He looked like he was yelling my name, but I couldn't tell much because I was starting to close my eyes. He tried to catch mewhen I fell straight to the ground. Everything was in slow-motion from then on. I couldn't understand anything anyone told me, and I felt like I was blindfolded. It drove me insane not knowing whether they didn't want to talk to me or they didn't like me at all. They all turned away, because I couldn't speak to them. Even Albel turned away. I was filled with sadness and heartache. I was lonely without him. I was lonely without anyone. I was just…alone._

Fayt shook his head with doubt. "Agatha," Fayt said.

"Yes?"

"Didn't you say that I wouldn't get nightmares when I was sleeping?"

"Oh," she looked dissappointed. "I didn't say it would happen. But I also did say it wouldn't. These are both possibilities."

Fayt dropped his shoulders. "I—"

"Now," she said. "You should be getting going soon. So I'm going to give you a special antidote that will calm your mind down from your dreams that you had."

Fayt nodded. "Okay."

"Drink up!" she said delightfully.  
"Is it safe this time?" Fayt asked weakily.

"Oh! Just drink it!" she snapped.

"Okay! Okay!" Fayt drank the liquid that was in the bottle and he swalloed carefully.

"Well?" she asked. "How does it taste?"

"Bitter," Fayt replied sticking out his tounge. Agatha knew it was a joke, and they both started laughing. But, they calmed down, and Fayt was headed out the door.

"Thanks for everything, Agatha! I really appreciate your hospitality!" Fayt waved happily and took off down the cobblestone road that led outside of Agatha's house.

"Oh, it's nothing worth mentioning…" she stopped for a moment to sit down on her porch. "…Fayt."

End, Chapter 7.

Buri's comments:  
giggles Okay, seriously, after reading this chapter I fell in love with my fanfic. Now you can expect more from me! Yay! I think this one's the best chapter so far, don't you think? Ya see, that's what I meant about the second parts being better and the first parts being, well, sorta sucky. XD I just really hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did!


	8. Keep on dreaming

Start, Chapter 8.

Fayt headed towards Peterny to look for the others. Just one thing: he didn't know where he was!

"I should've asked Agatha where I was before I left!" Fayt said as he smacked his forehead in doubt. "I'm such an idiot," he sighed.

Ahead he could see a city, though it wasn't Peterny. "I guess I'll just ask someone there in the city."

Once Fayt arrived in the town close to Agatha's house, he immediately started talking to the townsfolk. Repediately, he asked them what division the town was located in and how far away it was from wherever he was headed to. The only thing was—He didn't know **where** he was headed. I'm so stupid, he thought. I'm walking around without the slightest clue of where to find any landmarks, farmilliar faces, eccetera. What's the point anyway?

Fayt lost all hope and turned and said to the man who was giving him directions:

"You know what," he continued. "I think I'll just try to find my own way around things."

The man shrugged and sighed. "If you say so…"

"All right," Fayt put his arm around his neck. "Where should I go?" He looked around almost wanting to turn around to look for the man before. What was he good for though? Fayt set aside his cruel intentions and started to walk on. It seemed like the road he was walking apon grew bigger; little by little. The constant sound of his footsteps was like his heart—they were both beating in rhythm. He felt himself tumble over a bit and decided to find a nearby bench to sit on.

He was worn out and completley exhausted. His heart seemed to beat even faster even though he was settling down. He threw his head back to look at the sun; which was blinding to his eyes. He held his arm over his eyes when suddenly he felt a light tap on his knee and he shrieked with terror . The person who was standing there was a dark shadow blocking the sun's radiance. They looked farmiliar.

"Taking it easy again, I see," they said. They began to walk and the shadowy appearance was no longer there anymore, and Fayt could see clearly who it was.

"So-Sophia!" Fayt screamed. "How in the world did you get here!"

Sophia laughed. "I followed you."

"Wh-What?"

"Everyone was worried about you, you know," she scolded. "You shouldn't have left like that."

"I left?" Fayt asked. " I don't remember…"

"Yeah, you did," she continued. "I could kinda tell something was wrong; the way Albel was acting…"

Fayt dropped his shoulders a little and looked softly away from Sophia. "He—"

Sophia leaned closer to hear Fayt clearer.

"He—was worried about me…?"

Sophia took her hand and rested it on Fayt's shoulder. "Yeah," Sophia agreed. "Of course he didn't tell me himself."

Fayt fell silent for a whille and shook off Sophia's comforting hand gesture. He got up and started to walk away.

"Wait—Fayt? Where are you going?"

Fayt seemed to turn back but decided not to respond. He continued walking and left Sohpia feeling confused and sad. "Fayt…" she whispered.

"…what is going on in your mind?"

Fayt found himself lying on the ground of a mysterious forest. He got up slowly but took caution. He seemed to have caught his leg on a large branch or vine. His leg tingled with inferior pain and he retreated to get up. His forehead was sweating and his arms where scratched and some cuts were still open. Blood was all over his clothes and his sword was about a foot away from where he was lying. What happened…here? Fayt thought.

Again, Fayt tried to get up. He managed to stand for a few seconds, but fell from the lack of blood in his legs. His face was wiped with sadness and he felt his heart beat in an unsteady rhythm. He layed there for a while without moving trying to think but he couldn't. What if a random enemy started attacking him and he couldn't attack back? Who was there to save him?  
Just my luck, Fayt murmered in his mind as an enemy approached him. It was like none he had ever seen before. It's face was covered in cloth because of all of it's injuries, it legs where like animals legs, like a dog, and it's chest was covered in armor. Fayt trembeled a little and sat there calmly trying not to cause it any harm. It walked around him and sniffed him. It growled and got out it's weapon.

"This isn't good at all…" Fayt thought. "What am I supposed to do? I can barely move and there's no way I'll be able to fight in my current state!"

The creature stepped back a few steps and the charged toward Fayt. Fayt closed his eyes and tried to make it seem like he was dead already. But this did not fool the enemy. It continued to charge at him.

"You've given me no choice," Fayt said, struggling to stand up. The animal growled loudly and swung it's bat filled with large spikes around in circles. "I'll just have to…" he stopped whille getting up.

"…fight with everything I've got!"

Fayt grabbed his sword and started running. He was doing fine, acutally, but he could tell he wouldn't last much longer. "You're going to die right now!"

The enemy was just as prepared as Fayt was. It started walking slowly forward. Simply walking, with no effort at all.

"I bet you don't even have any experience! This'll be a cinch!" Fayt took his first swing at the enemy. It moved over to the right and looked Fayt straight in the eye. Fayt was frozen in his footsteps and he couldn't move a muscle in his body. What was this? He thought. Some kind of symbology?

The enemy swung it's bat at Fayt and he finally unfroze. Although he had no time to counterattack. Before he could think, he flew half-way across the field. He breathed slowly; stillunder the enemy's odd symbological trance. He hesitated to get up, and his ankle fell into tremendous pain and he dropped to his knees to scream in agony. He grabbed his head and slowly let himself drop to the ground. There was an odd sound that kept ringing in his ears that drove him madly insane. What was it? His head hurt with all that he had left of, and he still couldn't move after his critical hit.

Suddenly Fayt felt a tiny prickle on his back that made him flinch. More tiny drops of something pattered on his back, and his arms; releiving all his wounds. The enemy screeched and escaped from battle leaving Fayt alone. He was…alone again. With no one to talk to or to turn to.

Buri's comments:  
Well, this is all I have right now, but I'll post more later! I hope you like it very much, and comments and reviews are more than welcome. This inspires me to write more, it truly does! grins happily


	9. Judgment

Fayt felt the sensation of something crawling up his back when he opened his eyes. What was this? He turned his head to find Albel standing behind him smirking devilishly.  
"What do you want, fool?" he asked still smiling like he was concealing a very important secret.  
"A-Albel?" Fayt asked. He began to step backward, not realizing Albel was right in front of him.  
"What is it that you want?" Albel asked. He quietly lost his smirk and continued into a rather depressed state. "…do you want others to love you in return? Or do you only wish to be left alone; untouched? Is there anything you desire that doesn't give you a sense of horror…?"  
Fayt trembled. He quickly turned his head to look at Albel. "How…" he murmured. "…could you—"  
Albel began to slowly walk towards the young boy. The echoes of his footsteps were the only sound to be heard. When he stopped, the scuffing noise echoed as well. Albel held out his hand willingly to the boy in front of him. Fayt studied it with a confusing look on his face like he was asking 'Why should I?' or 'Why…is…he doing this—?'

...Fayt? Where are you?

Fayt's arm went into a serious spasm, and he trembled until he hit the floor. His lungs filled up with air, not able to hold in much longer. His heart stopped for three seconds. Breathe. Next it stopped for four seconds. He breathed. His heart continued to stop until it got up to thirteen seconds. Thirteen, he thought. What…an…unlucky number…

"What the hell are you thinking!" yelled a familiar voice. "Why did you just leave like that without telling anyone? What if you'd gotten terribly injured and no one could help you!"

Why is everyone yelling at me? What… What did I do wrong?

All of the sudden something came across my face as a complete surprise to me. He'd slapped me, but why? Was he mad? What for? Every time I search for answers I just end up finding more questions. It's no use, I'll never get out of this!

With doubt in his mind, Fayt hesitated to take the warrior's hand. He stopped while reaching out to him.  
"No," Fayt said. "No, I don't want any of this!" he flung his arm aside and gave Albel a confused look. Albel stood there still holding out his hand to Fayt. He wasn't moving. What was going on? Time stood still in front of his eyes. Was he the only one alive at that time?  
He wasn't completely the same person. He started to feel heavy; the weight being pushed down on his legs. Every time he looked a different way, his eyes would pulse and he would see inverted colors around him every so often. That noise popped inside his mind again, and he began to repeat the same process as before. His heart stopped until thirteen seconds until he breathed again. Another second was one too short.

Fayt cried, letting out all his emotion. There was nothing left to do, he thought. My life was just a big lie, and I'll never be able to forgive myself. Neither will…  
…the one I love.  
Who was the one he loved? Could he truly find inside himself the person he was destined to meet? There was another question that concerned him: Could I be in love with a monster?

I don't think I can take this much longer, he thought as he dropped to his knees again. Feeling pain in almost every place he had, he carefully tried to get up. It was like he was a magnet and he was being pulled down. Everytime he pulled himself up, he'd always go back down. How strange…Fayt thought.

How oddly strange…

author's note: Okay! Just to let you know, from now on (and until I decide to change it), the story will be in Fayt's point of view. I dunno why, I just think I write better when stuff is in 1st person, that's all. (shrugs) Well anyway, enjoy the angst! There's plenty PLENTY more where that came from! (cackles)

Part 2 of Chapter 9  
Silence

Inside, my heart was fading. I could feel it, somehow, that all of what was left of me had shattered to pieces. My body was weak, brittle; my hands shook from fear. My face covered in tears, and my eyes staring at the man in front of me, I slowly looked down to the floor with sadness in my empty heart.  
Just then an anthem was heard. A song of which would calm the hearts of evil, one that would set apart tragedy and grief. This song…it…sounded farmiliar to me. Like a part of my past or something…I couldn't figure it out.  
A beam of light circled around me and opened my eyes with light. I began to see things more positivley, and I felt…happy. I didn't know why, but for some reason all the pain and sorrow was lifted off of my shoulders.  
My eyes still fixated on the warrior in front of me, I concentrated with all my heart to see what had stopped time.  
"What is going through your mind, Albel?" I asked thoughtfuly. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and thought this to be some sort of tragedy. It wasn't anymore, because Albel showed me that he was still alive; he wasn't frozen in time anymore. I could see his hand that he had outstretched to me was shaking, and his eyes looked upon it. He stared thoughtfuly at his hand, almost surprised that he was still moving. He fell forward a little, and in time he regained his balance.__

I opened my heart to you…You rejected it.  
I gave you my all everytime…And you still hated me.  
Now what? I'm left in lonely darkness that surrounds me…You never bothered to ask how I was doing or if I was okay. You just didn't care.  
So now what have I become? A fragment of what you treated me like…Still in pieces. My heart used to be lighter…but…  
…you made it heavier by hearing about the burden you carry, and I wanted to help you…I just…couldn't find the strength to speak to you about it…

_But now I have learned to never doubt those I seek peace in. I never will doubt you…Albel._

Albel fell over. His dark shadow followed him, and slid underneath. His breathing was so loud that I could hear it; yet the silence around us was still there.  
I stared at him with uncertainty that, if it may be true—that Albel was still alive—he would say something to me. His mouth began to move with motions I was farmiliar to, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. I frowned and walked closer to see if I could hear him better. Unfortuneately, it only made it **worse**.  
"Albel…" I thought out loud. "Please…just say something. Anything to let me know I haven't lost you yet…"  
"Oh no…" I thought. "I'm gonna cry again…" This was true. I felt tears flow down my face carelessly. That song…That song that I heard before was playing again. Before, it had given me strength and filled my heart with light. That very same light had restored Albel to normal. But why couldn't I hear him speak?  
The song grew louder and louder and soon there appeared above my head a huge circle; a circle that was used in symbology. It emitted great light from it and shone with such a radience that I couldn't see anything around me. I tried to look over to Albel, and he too was staring at the strange phenomenon. His eyes were wide with fear as he stood there in awe. I felt sad for a moment—looking at Albel like that—because what if this really _really_ was some sort of terrible phenomenon that could mark our lives forever? What if everyone and everything would be reduced to ash, and there would be nothing left? What was going to happen to me and Albel? Was I the one that started this in the first place? Did I—Fayt Leingod—create mass chaos that might scar the whole universe to it's destruction?  
All of the sudden I felt terribly ill. I went frantic, and lost all my senses and panicked. I turned my full attention to the 'symbology circle' that appeared above our heads. A white angel appeared from the middle of the circle. It had long, flowing hair, and it's garments were decorated with much care. It stretched out it's hands and I didn't know if it was reffering to me, Albel, or if it was just holding it's hands out. I felt obviously nervous; I think anyone would. But something like this wouldn't happen to _just_ anyone. Maybe only to me, or maybe it was only a very strange coincedence. Maybe…Maybe this is…all a…dream…  
**  
Kyaaah! I can't stop writing! It's just too addicting. If any of you think I have ideas for my chapters—think again! I just write as I go along! (laughs uneasily) I guess I'm not a very experiecned writer then, huh? Yeeahh…Ah-hmm…Lately, I've been under the weather's crude spell. (I'm sensitive to changes in weather patterns.) For instence, on Tuesday it was like 42 or so, then Wednesday, it's all the way up to 80. Today, it's pretty much the same; I am getting better, but I doubt the weather will stay the same any time soon. Tune in for more chapters written specially by….Buri! Bye!**


	10. Understanding

Chapter 10 

This is all a dream, I thought over and over again. This is all just some crazy dream, and I'll wake up screaming soon. The light from the angel grew even stronger, and Albel and I stepped back. It followed us. Albel's face scrunched up because he was mad. He closed his eyes.  
I almost said to him "Don't lose hope! We still don't know what's going to happen, but please, you must'nt lose hope!" If I did, he might of ignored me, or maybe because of the situation we were in he would actually listen…  
The wind started to kick up. I tried my best to stay standing. Then a thought occured to me: This looks like symbology…Maybe if I………no, I don't want to get any more into this than we already are. But…this may be the only way to save us. I can try using symbology against it; but with this power, I don't know when it will react.

"What're we going to do…?" I said breathlessly. He shook his head.   
"Nothing."  
"! Albel? You're saying you just want to be taken away into pieces by this…this thing? Albel, what are you thinking!"

"So? Who cares if I'm turned into oblivion."  
I stared at Albel. Why….Why did he want to leave? Otherwise, that means I wount get to see him again. I started to feel tears well up in my eyes, and he stared at me soberly. He had an odd smirk on his face.  
"Albel…" I said over sobs. "Don't…don't leave me…"  
Albel flinched. "That's—"

"DON'T LEAVE ME!"

"…." Albel had remembered one of his nightmares that he had, or whatever it was, and he wished he hadn't seen it at all.  
"Stop acting like a girl and toughen up. There's going to be a lot more things like this."  
"So what? I'm just going to lose you, and never see you again?" I cried out to him.  
"…..Maybe," Albel looked to the side and he sort of lost his smirk. He was probably starting to regret all he had said before. He wanted to stay with me, I thought, and that's all he's ever wanted. To be with the person he cares most about, and to express that love in something special, and unique. I never knew just how much he cared, because he never actually showed it. But I could kind of tell; the way everyone would tease him and he would blush, and tell them off…I don't want to see this Albel gone. I don't want him gone at all. If he leaves…I'm leaving with him.

Albel walked slowly into the gleaming light all around us. He carefully put one foot forward, then after that, he would place his other foot in front of him. This is how people walked, I thought. This is how they step forward in their lonely lives. I tried to look over the situation carefully without forgetting a single detail. The thing I had to do was save Albel. How am I going to do that? He won't listen to me, he's too stubborn. Just…like me. No, no…I have to focus on what's important right now…What I decide may affect the fate of humanity, or maybe I'm just exaggerating. ……..I hope I am.

I took action reluctantly. I was shaking because I was so nervous; I should be used to this kind of stress. I deal with it all the time. But…with something this major, there's no way I'll be able to control myself. That's what humans are. Within their insecurity, they forget about what guards them, and protects them. They lose all hope, and don't even care to believe. What's in our hearts will never die, and I'm sure that the people out there with hearts like mine will soon realize it too.  
There may be a day when all mankind is sent to their graves, and sorrow and despair will spread over the land. I fear…I fear that that day draws nearer than expected. Perhaps, living was just a big joke? What had I to live for? My dad died, the whole universe was threatened to be reduced to ash, and now the one I care about most wants to leave me. What have _I _done wrong? I don't know whether my powers will react, and when they do, they happen at the wrong times. This power I was given—the symbology trait that was enthrusted inside of me by my own flesh and blood—could it be that this power was made to destroy? Should I be able to use it when the people I love are in danger? Will my demon inside me wake up and destroy everyone and everything? More importantly, what's going to happen to me **_now!_**

I reached out my hand to Albel and grabbed his arm. He drew it away from me forcefully, and it startled me. I grabbed it again, and this time he stopped. He probably got annoyed, or just didn't want to have to keep pulling his arm away from me. It would only slow him down.  
He breathed slowly, and dropped his shoulders a little. "What?"  
I stared at him thinking of what to say. I probably should've thought of what I was going to say before I actually took action. But if it'd been any later, there wouldn't have been any time to do anything. I had to, I guess.  
I finally thought of something to say. "Don't throw your life away, Albel. You've got so much more to live for. Think of all the things you'd be missing out on. Seriously, Albel. Think for a minute what it would be like if you left."  
His shoulders lifted slightly, and he turned his head away from me. "It would be the same, wouldn't it?"  
"No, Albel! Your'e not getting it!" I tightened my grasp, and Albel closed his eyes. He was shaking a little; Was I hurting him?  
"Why should you care anyway!" he yelled. "I treated you like dirt. Why would you want that?"  
"No, Albel…It's not the things the person says that I want," I continued. "…it's the _person_ I want."

Albel turned his head quickly around and stared at me with a painful expression on his face. He didn't look like he understood it; Maybe he did, he just didn't want to _hear_ it. I've felt like that a lot lately. There were a lot of times when I heard something and I refused to accept the truth. The thing was, I had to. Sooner or later I'd have to. I mean, there's no point in denying something if it means you'll wind up confused in the end. I didn't want Albel to feel that way, because I experienced the same thing. I know how it feels to be in denial. It's not worth anything. I'm sure Albel will realize it soon, because now is all the time we have left.

His eyes were fiery red and he looked like he was on the edge of crying. "I don't understand…You don't care if I hate you?" He waited desperately for an answer.  
"……C'mon Albel…I know that you don't hate me. Not _truly_."  
He whispered so softly that I could barely hear him. But the song in the 'background' still didn't faze my concentration.  
"……….I admit, that is true. I never really 'hated' anything. I just pretended to because I thought that would make me a better person somehow. But you know?" He put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a smile that was never seen on his face before. "Being soft isn't all that bad……..right, Liengod?"  
The song was getting louder and louder, and when Albel talked, he was barely audible to me. Could this be the end? I thought. But….why does it have to happen right whenever Albel understands everything I've told him so far!  
Above us, the light shone brighter that before. The angel draped in white was still holding it's arms out to us, or whoever it was reffering to. I had a feeling that something was going to happen though, because the light seemed to subside a little.

Suddenly, the song stopped and everything turned blankly silent. A pointy object came out of the angel's chest. It appeared that the pointy object was the tip of a sword. The sword was nothing that I've ever seen before; it's tip was sharp and the blade was shining in the dark outline of blood covering the angel's body. The angel's head dropped and it's arms flung down to it's sides. They dangled as the sword still lay injected in the angel's body. I had no idea what was going on, but I felt like the sword was there to help us. Like some sort of sign that we were alright the whole time. I wondered if the angel was dead at all; something as godly as this creature would be hard to kill. I could sense the power of the sword greatly. I knew that our lives were saved. Maybe not for good, but now everything will be back to the way it used to be. I've…. home.

**  
**KYAAH! This chapter is my best ever. I'm telling you, I thought to myself, "Buri, the angst has GOT to stop. Well maybe not stop, but recede. SLOWLY. Or else I'll miss it, and my fanfic will be nothing but a bunch of words written by an author who's missed her angst….Errrrrr, what was I talking about again…? Oh, right! Welp, I hope you enjoyed this one; will try to update soon! 3 Ha ha ha! I even made an angst playlist on Windows Media Player to listen to while writing! Ha ha! I'm such a dork….


	11. Confusion

Chapter 11

I was still seemingly subconcious after the angel had been defeated; my eyes were closed, and yet, it felt like they were open. I looked around myself to see _anything_, though I knew the debris from the following event was there, it still seemed somehow forgein for me.

But soon I remembered what happened before—how Albel had tried to give himself to the 'creature'—and quickly searched for him. With mixed emotions inside, I looked everywhere; behind me, and all the corners of that 'place'. I thought about the place we were in a lot. What really _was_ that place? It was just white everywhere, even after the light had faded. It was like a white room that I would have dreams of sometimes, when I'm sitting there waiting for something to come, and it's just white all over. The dreams I have are odd and peculiar; could this be because of the sybology dad gave to me? Maybe I'm just letting too much stuff get to me.

Albel's hand reached out of nowhere and pulled my shoulder. I flew backwards, hitting the ground. He stood there—just **_stood_** there—and obnociously laughed at me. He had a grin on his face as he was looking down at me; I had grass blades scattered all across my clothes and there were even some on my head. I hesitantly shook them off and got up. His eyes followed me and my back faced him. I could tell he was still staring at me with that sinister look in his eyes and the smirk on his face. It seemed to pierce me in the back and go straight through my heart. I have no idea why Albel acted this way again; like he was before. He's acting happy…I thought. More or so _suspicious_.

I turned around once I had brushed all the remaining grass off. Still, he was looking at me like that and he laughed softly.

"Your'e really something," he said. "I had to almost 'pull' you out of there."

'Pull'? What did he mean, 'pull'? And where was 'there', anyway?

"Cut it out, Albel," I said briefly. "It's not _my_ fault you pulled me that hard."

"Well, whatever."  
"…" Had all that happened before—when Albel finally seemed to understand all that I taught him—was it just fake? Was it a halucination? Was I dreaming? Nothing really pieced together perfectly, but I had a feeling Albel remembered deep inside. Somewhere, I know he did remember.

"Anyway, what's going on?" I asked.

"Hmm?" Albel wasn't even paying attention to me! I thought.

"….Never mind." Albel looked more concerned this time.

"What did you say?"

I sighed. "Well, the first time I asked what was going on," I continued. "But you weren't even listening to me…"

"Oh," he breathed. "Nothing's going on right now, and if there was something, I wouldn't have told you." Albel grinned again, this time, he was meaning to look suspicious. I knew it, because Albel almost never put on a different expression.

"I guess," I said plainly. "There's barely nothing going on, anyway." I meant to say this—to see if Albel had remembered what happened last—and it worked. He turned his head and stared at me like he was yelling, "Don't you remember what just happened?! Fool!!" I laughed to myself and he leaned closer to me.

"What's so funny, Leingod?" Albel barked, and I was in shock. His eyes met mine and I blushed again—I should never look directly into his eyes…Especially that color…Uh…! Right! Back to reality…

"Umm…I was just…thinking of…uh…S-Sophia's face! Isn't it hilarious?" I was so nervous I could barely contain myself. With Albel being Albel, he would probably be able to tell if I was lying or not.

"Hmm…Sophia's face _is _hilarious. But what I'm concerned about right now is _you_."

My face blushed at such a response; had I been expecting it. I was surprised at how much Albel would take to figure something out; sometimes he had the hardest time just trying to use a phone. It was quite amusing actually, because he'd play around with it until eventually it would break. This wasn't amusing for the person who owned the stuff, though.

"Albel, don't worry. I'm fine," I said as I began to get up. Though something made me feel that Albel's question was still un-answered.

"Don't lie to me," Albel said painfully. I turned around to see his face twisted in pain and confusion. The sight gave me chills that wrapped all around my body. I felt sick.

The silent distance between us was unbearable. I couldn't stand to have Albel be in so much pain.

"Tell me the truth."

I was considering this, but I didn't know what he would say if I told him. Thoughts rushed all through my head gathering all in one place: where I did all my thinking and explaining. If I was to tell Albel the truth, I would have to make it so that both of us could understand.

"Well, if you really want to know…I guess it couldn't hurt to tell you," I said shyly and shifted my gaze to the grass. I was distracted by the grass swaying in the wind, and I totally forgot about Albel for a minute.

Albel's face was in a disturbed state, and he didn't have time for me to be fooling around. "Today, Leingod?"

"Oh!" I flinched and looked at Albel. Though I had looked away, I could still see the grass in my mind: Softly swaying in the wind, not knowing where it will go…

"Sorry," I said.

"Forget about it. Just hurry up and tell me before I leave."

"O-Okay, I will."

I prepared myself for what I had to say; It hadn't occurred to me that I had said this numerous times before. I never caught myself saying it, and if I did, it would've been too late. But right now, I needed to concentrate on what was important. Telling Albel how I felt would be like lifting an enormous weight off my shoulders, though it could also bring even more trouble upon me than before. But I think after I tell him he'll understand, or maybe he won't. I'll understand though, because I've known Albel for at least a year now, and he's a friend. Friends don't betray other friends, or at least in this case, he won't just walk away like he doesn't want to accept it. He's not like that. I know he's not. And after what happened before, he won't deny it. He might not like it, but it's the truth. And that's exactly what he wants me to tell him.

"Do you remember us…being in a white room?" I asked.

Albel cocked an eyebrow. _Oh great,_ I thought. _He **really** doesn't remember!_

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Umm…I-I don't know," I blushed a little for no reason, because I do that a lot. Sometimes I have to catch myself doing it.

"What about it?"

"Well, there was an angel, right? Wasn't that strange?"

"Not really," he said. "Don't you remember those Executioners?"

"Oh. Of course I do," I said quietly.

Albel looked like he didn't want to hear me anymore. He looked up at the clear blue sky as if to be taken away by something. He suddenlt held his arm up to the sky and stretched out his hand to touch a cloud. I questioned him in my mind, because if I actually asked him he would've gotten mad at me.

The sight was peaceful, actually. I had never seen Albel act this way. He never showed his feelings, and especially not in this way.

Albel breathed out a long, deep sigh. He put his hand back to his side and looked at me again. "Forget it. I don't feel like hearing you anymore."

"What?! But I thought…!"

"Calm down, worm. If you really wanted to tell me how you felt, you should've done it a long time ago when I was still listening." Albel laughed in spite of himself for a minute, and then walked off. I watched him as he walked down the steep hill which over looked the town. The sun was just setting with a suttle pink, orange, and blue. The trees and grass still swayed in the light breeze like before.

"Maybe…this is a fitting scene for me. Maybe I was meant to be deserted by the only one I have feelings for…" I sat down on the grass and looked over the city. The town reminded me of how long ago it was when I landed on Vanguard III. So much has advanced since then. There's electricity now that we decided to help the others out. They were truly grateful that we gave them such a marvelous gift, and they thanked us with a feast. The food was delicious, I remembered, and the water there was the purest I'd ever tasted. It all seemed to dissolve in my mouth as I thought about it, and it only made things a little better by the second. I decided to forget about the past incident so I wouldn't bring myself to depression. When I was depressed I wouldn't want to do anything. Not even if it had to do with Albel, which I don't know why I'd think of something like that.

I got up and walked down the hill towards the town slowly; if I had walked any faster, I might have tripped and tumbled down the hill to the bottom.

I had a bad headache, so I decided that I get some rest. Although I wasn't exactly sure if I should avoid Albel. But if I was avoiding him, he would definatley notice, and make me confess. Augh…If I think anymore, my head might explode.

I made my way down to the inn, and before I could open the door, someone called out my name. It was Sophia.

"Hi Fayt," she said happily.

I yawned and greeted her. "Hey."

"'Hey'? Fayt, are you alright? Your'e acting kind of strange."

"Aren't I always strange like this?" I laughed. She laughed too.

"Well, I have to admit, you are strange. But not _this_ strange. Are you sure there's nothing that's bothering you?"

"Sophia, would you stop worrying? I'm fine!" She crossed her arms almost like she was disappointed in me. "Sophia?" I managed.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking." And then she put a big grin on her face. This brought my face to a slight smile. Seeing others happy was my only cure to fight my insanity. Ans usually when I was depressed I wouldn't smile or laugh at anything. I would reject the world and everything in it. Clearly I wasn't depressed, because if I was, Sophia would notice it. When she asks me what's wrong, it's not like a concerned thing. She always asks me that, and everytime I say 'I'm fine! Don't worry!'. Maybe she really is concerned, though. I have done a lot of crazy things in my past that might've led me to insanity, and sometimes, I think it shows. I don't notice it—I don't notice _anything_—and if I don't, others will. I dumped all my thoughts instead, so I wouldn't have trouble sleeping. I yawned to show Sophia that I was tired, and she understood.

**Author's note:**

**Hey hey hey! How's my favorite posse doin'?? lol. Hope you liked this one; I had writer's block around the middle of this chapter. But, all is well now! I finally decided to update this story. Who knows when it'll end? NEVER! The story still lives on forever! Bwahahahahahahaha! (_Oh, and if your wondering how exactly I got the inspiration for Fayt having a headache afterward, I actually DO have a headache. A rather big one, too.) _ Oh well! I'll just tell someone else about my insanities. (goes crazy) **


	12. Thank you

Chapter 12 

I had trouble sleeping that night. Thoughts raged through my head and made my headache even worse. I tried to think of some way to get rid of the insaneness, but nothing in my mind would seem to cure it. So I got up and asked someone for some medicine.

They gratefully accepted my request, and I thanked them for their kindness. These days in Aquaria, all they have is medicine bottles with liquids in them. I didn't see any pills or anything because technology hasn't advanced that fast yet. I left the kind woman in silence so that the only person she could talk to was herself. I felt kind of bad for her; she was the only one who would take the night 'shift'. All the other employees would refuse, and she had no say in it. I could tell, though, that she was younger than the rest of them. Her voice has higher and she was a little bit shorter. Her way of saying things was a little simpler; my guess would be she was around 13 years old. I thought to myself: How did someone so young get the job of handing out medicine to the sick? Why _her_?

I went back to my room with nobody in it—at least that's what I thought it was—and plopped myself back onto my bed. I stopped to take no further action because I could hear a sound; a sound that wasn't supposed to be there. A sound….like another human. Another _person_. There was another person in here besides me?!

I carefuly looked to my side to see who it was, but the darkness around me seemed to blind me from doing so. So I quietly turned the lamp on. My surprise was the loudest thing in this room.

"Hello there."  
"Albel?! What…What the hell are you doing here?" I was still cathing my breath.

"What am I doing here? Don't I always sleep here?" He asked mindlessly.

"Well…yeah, but—"

"But what?" he got up from the bed beside me; if he was under me I would've literally died. "I thought you liked me. I guess you were just lying to me again, weren't you?"

"I wasn't lying I was just—"

"You were just betraying a friend," he said. I wasn't going to say anything else because I knew he would talk the most amongst us. "How much more are you planning on doing this?"  
"I…don't know." I couldn't refuse not talking to him. He was a friend after all. And I never betrayed him. Never. He's always been a loyal friend to me. And I never planned on betraying him.

"I wasn't 'planning' anything!" I shouted. "Albel, how can you say these things? Were friends, remember?"

"Oh, yes. I remember." He started walking closer towards me until our bodies touched. I was a little afraid what he was going to do next.

"I remember that you never told me your feelings."

I blushed in spite of myself. I never pictured myself being in these kinds of situations. Of course, anything's possible in my life.

"So what are you thinking right now? Are you thinking of telling me? Or will you just keep it from me and hide yourself away? Don't be afraid to tell me. I woun't hurt you. I won't let anything else hurt you because I'll protect you," his voice was gentle and caring. I got caught up in the moment and started to feel tears stream down my face.

"I know…" he began, "I know I haven't been the best for you. And I know I haven't treated you fairly. I want to change that. I want to make the world a better place for you."

"No…" I thought. "Why is this happening? I was supposed to tell him…Now I've made him feel guilty. He's just trying to make me feel better. Then he'll go back to his normal self."

He hugged me tight, and I bawled. I couldn't help myself. He really did care, I thought. I slowly hugged him back. His embrace was warm and comfortable.

"Thank you," I said happily, "for showing me where I needed to go."

It all seemed like a dream. Was it happening or was it not happening?

Thank you.

I remember that you cared. So…

Thank you.

I want to remember all the times we shared. But I can't…

…without you.

There was a time when we were set apart.

Set apart from fantasies.

Our hearts were not connected.

We were roaming on our own.

Whichever way I went, it would always be different than yours.

You weren't there beside me.

I was running, and I was looking.

I was looking for someone's hand to hold on to.

I was searching for someone to love.

Someone to cherish.

I was looking for you.

You.

There was no hope in my heart that I would find you,

But something told me that I would.

Were you thinking about me as well?

Did you care?

Were you…

…running?

Were you chasing after something…

…that you wanted?

Was it

Hopeless?

Was it

Worth it?

Was it to…

…find the one you were searching for?

Your welcome…

…my love.

End, Chapter 12.  
Authors note-

Omg. This one's sure to be a success. Well…I thought the part with Albel all of the sudden getting soft was a bit cheesy, but I was just thinking about it one night, and I was like, "hey, this could be good fanfic material…" I also added more angsty songs to my angst playlist. XD That helped a bit. thanks Yuki Kajiura for making such pretty songs

Well, you know, I have a secret. laughs Umm…I act out most of my fanfic material when I go to bed. Like for instance, I'll be Albel one part and then Fayt the next, and it's all to get ideas. XD; I know, I'm stupid. But it does work. For me, at least.


	13. Metamorphosis

Chapter 13 

After I had gone back into my room that night and had found Albel there, we talked for a while. We talked about things that no one else would talk about. Only things that…we could experience. Our adventures, and our feelings. I truly felt like I was talking to a different person. But I think I like Albel this way, even though it's a little uncomfortable now.

I woke up to see the sun light draped across the room and stretched among the city. My arms were wrapped around Albel, and when I first woke up seeing him, it sort of scared me. I wasn't used to having people sleep next to me while I was doing the same.

The birds chirped and sang outside the bedroom window and the sky was a perfect blue. There were just a few clouds in the sky, but seeing as how the sky was so blue, it didn't really matter. Altogether, the day was something to look forward to; but the night was a time when evil lurked around and people could not be trusted.

I was looking out the window peacefully with a content smile spread across my face. Albel stirred and looked at me. For a second I totally ignored him for a minute just to admire what was outside.

Albel saw that I was looking outside, so he looked out the window as well, and with a little apathy in his voice, he said,"What are you looking at?"

"Don't you see it, Albel? It's nature," I laughed. He paused and studied it carefully, as if putting effort into it.

"I…don't see anything," Albel said disappointingly. I laughed a little, and didn't bother.

Albel looked away from the misleading window and looked at me once again. "Did you sleep well?"

"Hmm…" I mumbled. "Yeah."  
–side note: OKAY. I know what your'e thinking, Fayt is being WAAAAAAAAAAAAY too uke. I know! But this is GOOD material right here!

For some reason, after I had said that, I felt awkward. I felt like quickly getting up from the bed and getting away from Albel. But why would I do that? Albel's changed and now I can feel comfortable in these situations. It's not supposed to feel awkward anymore. What's going on?!

I decided to get up on that thought, and I did it with less hesitation. It didn't occur to me that Albel may 'like' me in a certain kind of way, and I never thought about it that much. I didn't want to cause myself the trouble.

Albel followed as I got up, and usually he did. He didn't like to be left alone, so he would just follow me when I got up. I didn't mind, it was just now that I was sure he would stay with me it was sort of hard to be around him. I couldn't really explain it, but I am happy with him, I just…I just feel a little awkward.

I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth like I did every morning. I got together the toothpaste, my toothbrush, and everything else that was needed.

As I was doing this, I felt a tingling sensation around my hip, but then it went away shortly afterwards. I didn't know what the feeling was; I probably just imagined it. So I carried on with brushing my teeth. Then the sensation came again, only this time it was stronger. I stood up more to shake away the feeling, but it didn't go away. The water from the sink was still running and I turned around. Still, the sound of the water grew stronger in my head as I wondered where the sensation was coming from. Like I said before, I was probably just imagining things. And if I completely ignored it, I knew it would come back. What should I do? I thought.

So instead of venturing on such a pointless thing, I hurried on to brushing my teeth more quickly, just to make sure the 'thing' that was around me wouldn't cause me any more troubles.

Again, I felt the sensation, but I ignored it. But for some reason, this time when the sensation came, it felt slightly different. The touch was smoother, and seemed more realistic. I was starting to begin my 'studies' again on this.

The sensation felt like a person's touch—fingers and hands. I stopped to see if the sensation would come again. What is it? I thought. Or…_who_ is it? Could it be—

Things that seemed like arms wrapped around my waist and made me cringe. The sensations I was feeling was enough to drive a person mad; I still didn't know who it was.

Then a voice came to me: "What do you want most in your life?"

My hand was beginning to sweat and I accidentally dropped my toothbrush. Water was being forced upon it so that it would move a little as the water continued to run.

"What?" I managed. My heart was beating very fast.

"What do you want most in your life?" the voice repeated.

"I…I don't know," I said softly. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Why?" the voice said. "Why? Oh, no reason. But don't you ever think about what the future will be like?"

I gulped. "I…I guess I…have thought about that once or twice."

"See? There 's no use in lying all the time." The sensation grew worse, and I tried to escape. The grasp was way too tight—I couldn't get out!

Then there came feeling around my neck; like the arms when they were wraped around my waist. But this wasn't a very good kind of feeling; it felt like someone had been choking me. I tried to grasp for air, but that didn't seem to work either.

"Don't struggle so much…" The voice taunted me, and it made it even harder to stop thinking about it. And, oddly enough, the voice seemed…familiar. It sounded _so_ familiar that I was almost mad at myself for not figuring it out before.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Who am I? Hmm, that's a funny question. I thought you already knew me?" The grasp tightened around my neck. I couldn't breathe.

"Why? Don't you remember me?" the voice was still using that evil tone I always hated. "Do you…want to forget about me?"

"I'm dealing with…" I thought,"…a psycho here."

He laughed. "Well now that I'm here, I might as well tell you." There was a sharp feeling around my shoulder and words that had been spoken before became louder, and more understandable.

"Is it you?" I asked, very quietly.

"What do you mean? Is it me, the one you love," he continued,"or is it me, the one you hate?" His voice raised and he sounded angry.

"I don't know."

"Well make up your mind," he said restlessly. The grasp that was around my neck loosened as his voice faded into a more gentle emphasis.

"Uh…Well, what I mean is…" I paused. "I-Is it…is it you, Albel?" I turned around to see that indeed, the warrior wearing revealing clothes stood before me. He hung his head in shame, but laughed, with a smirk across his face.

"Surprise," he said.

"Why? Why did you do that?" I asked, still very confused. "Why did you act that way, Albel?"

"What? Is it unusual for me to act that way?" Albel asked. "Haven't you always been unsure of what I might say?"

"Well…I guess so," I said. "But still. Was it necessary?"

He looked away from me and he slouched a little. "I don't know." His voice was lethargic; maybe he didn't care about it anymore? He straightened up a little, and then without any intrest of what I had to say, he left.

I watched him as he left the room, with which a door was left open. He walked slowly over to his bed and sat at the foot of it, interlacing his fingers to show his deep thought. His eyes were closed, and I could tell that he was trying to figure a way over of a very difficult obstacle.

I twisted the knob on the fosett and set my toothbrush in the cabinet which was also a mirror. The cabinet closed, and when I looked at my reflection, I looked expressionless. I didn't feel expressionless, I just _felt. _  
//author's note: Okay. This is getting a little choppy with all those 'I''s. So, sorry if I'm confusing you, I'm going to change this fanfiction to 3rd person for the time being. Who knows, I may change it back, so don't be too worried about it.//  
Fayt walked out of the now soundless bathroom. Without the sound of the water running, his tension coiled. Inside he was brittle and weak. He didn't know which way was right or which way was left. He couldn't tell the difference between up's and down's. His mind was changing, and oddly, he felt okay with it. It wasn't painful to him, but a pleasant feeling to change for once in his dull life.

Albel's eyes followed Fayt everytime he took another step. Fayt managed to get himself all the way over to the other side of the room. With his back facing Albel, his eyes closed and filled with doubt, Fayt slowly turned the doorknob and left. The door shut, making no more than a clicking sound.

Fayt pressed his back against the door feeling its cold texture. He was trying to breathe but his heart kept beating faster and faster. What's happening to me? Fayt thought wearily. His cheeks turned red, and he felt flushed. Am I getting sick? He thought once more, holding his hand to his forehead. His senses came to him and he immedeately withdrew his hand back to his side. His forehead was burning up, hotter than the usual fever would carry. The room was spinning. His legs shook and he lost balance. Fayt dropped to his knees helplessly with no one around to help him. Would Albel help him? Did he even care what would happen to him?

"Albel…" he breathed. Suddenly, all that was left of him surged out in rage, anger, and hatred. He threw his head back and screamed. "Albel!!!"

Fayt had nothing left. He was slowly being ripped apart; his existence was no longer needed.

"Does this mean that no one cared about him? The poor boy, he must be in so much pain."

"Then…we must release him, and set him free from his misery."

"What? You can't do that. You will defy all that the council implies. If you do that, then you will be sentenced to persecution."

"You're forgetting a very important detail. You do remember what it is, right?"

"….Of course. But that would be forcing too much pain on the child. Your'e not—you're not thinking of—"

"It is time for the renewal; the second birth of mankind. He is only the predominant of the two. Then what is his purpose? What is his reason for staying alive?"

"No. Stop this right now! You know what will happen, don't you? Everything wil be destroyed!"  
"I'm afraid it's a little late for that. The cycle has already begun!"

_Fear not, for the dawn is coming. The night will close like a finished book. Come: Abide with me so that we may become one!_

End, Chapter 13.

Author's note: Kyaah! Man, this one's pretty long! I hope I remember how to submit chapters again! 00 Interesting chapter, I think. And the POV change was a nice touch. I don't think I'll ever be doing any more fanfics in first person. They kinda don't make sense half the time, and I…Oh…I know this one's gotten good reviews cause I've made Fayt to be the seme guy he's supposed to be (snicker) but it doesn't seem to show as much in my writings. (scratches head) Just let it be known that this chapter hasn't been updated for a long time. Enjoy!  
R&R! (No, not rest and relax, you fools!! whacks you upside the head) Ooh, I drew this really good Albel today!


	14. Eternal Recurrance

Chapter 14 

His existence was slowly being torn apart; soon, very soon, he would no _longer_ exist. A sad ending to a sad book, is as sad as this boy's future. Is there anyone to save him from his everlasting sorrow?

The light was illuminating, and everything could be seen: the birds, the trees, and the vast sky that was above his head.

"What?"

What happened? Hadn't he just been 'deleted' or 'erased'?

What is this place?

"Albel…?" Fayt thought. He wiped his eyes and yawned. "Mmm…Huh?" he looked around him, in confusion. "Albel? Where are you? Albel?"

Silence was his reply.

Fayt stared into the city that was overlooked by this hill; the same hill that he would always visit. The same hill that he and Albel would sit at and look over the whole town in deep thought. The sight was pleasurable in his mind: the sky just beginning to turn pink in the sunset, the grass swaying slightly in the breeze, and the expression on Albel's face which told how he was feeling inside. Fayt would always look at him for a while, while Albel wasn't looking, and admire him. He knew that if Albel were to have noticed him staring he wouldn't have cared, and just simply go back to what he was doing before. That was Albel, Fayt thought. Man, I miss him already.

At this, he looked around the place once more, then without hesitation, got up from where he was sitting and walked into the town.

People were busily running about the town (which closely resembled Peterny). Shouts of both anger and fright screamed in his ears and he began to walk faster with each step he took. This was a danger zone to him, or whatever it was, and he knew he had to take caution in such a place. Who knows what could happen to him?

Suddenly stopping in the middle of the town square, he realized the situation that had occurred previously: I was feeling uncomfortable and I was saying all these crazy things, Fayt thought. And…Albel was acting weird one moment then calm and gentle the next…I was…I was feeling sick and I left. I left Albel in there all alone. My head was burning up, and it felt like the whole room was spinning. I remember a voice that sounded a lot like mine, but different, and it was talking to me; or was it? Was there someone else there? All this talk of the council, and the cycle and the 'second birth of mankind'…

Fayt shrugged and broke his thoughts into pieces. He didn't want to ask anyone for directions because almost everyone there was busy and they didn't seem very nice at all. He had to go somewhere else. The inn, he thought. Yeah…maybe all I need is some sleep. Even better, I might be asleep and this is all a crazy dream. Yeah…A…dream…

Fayt fell to his knees right in the middle of the bustling town. His face hit the ground and a small breath escaped from his cold lips.

Fayt lay there silently for a moment then all turned inverted and colors were more white's and gray's. The outlines of people were darker than before, or had they ever been outlined. Time had stopped, and a dark portal appeared and a figure stepped out of it.

The man was looking down on Fayt disappointingly with a stare in his emrald eyes that spoke for themselves. He circled Fayt then stopping at the other side. He bended down and examined his body, not finding any injuries. "Hmph," he scowled. "It seems the council wouldn't allow my 'un-appropriate' actions." He looked into his eyes. His pupils dialated and he covered his head.

"No!! You—you can't…" he said over incredible pain. Fayt blinked, and his eyes were open.

"What?"

The man had disappeared in the split second that Fayt had blinked his eyes. Fayt sat up and the people started to move again. A jolt of pain peirced Fayt in his head, and he had a bad headache.

A man passed by and stopped to help Fayt up. "Are you alright?" he asked kindly. "You look quite pale."

"Oh," Fayt said, looking up. He looked at the man's hand that he had stretched out. "You're…You actually _want_ to help me?" he asked sleepily.

The man blinked. "Why wouldn't I? If there's someone who needs help, I'll help them."

Fayt laughed. "That's a lot like me," he said. "Like a stray puppy, I can't stay away from it." The man nodded and urged Fayt to take his hand.

"Please. You are in critical condition, and you're in need of rest," his eyes lowered a little and he looked more serious than before. "You can stay at my place for a while until you start to feel better."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I can't take that offer. I would just be a hassle…"  
"Oh no! Not at all!" the man laughed. "You'll like it there."

Fayt hesitated to take the man's hand, but decided to take his offer. He wouldn't do with the people here so why bother? He gladly took the man's hand and he helped him up.

"Can you stand?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah, I think so. Thanks." The man nodded.

So, with that, the man led Fayt to his home and once the man closed the door behind him, his wife looked up from her sewing and gasped.

"Wh-Who is that?!" she screamed. The man eased her to calm down.

"This is a guest," he said while breaking a sweat. "He's not here to hurt us."

"'Not here to hurt us'?" Fayt murmered quietly. The man paused a minute and turned towards Fayt.

"I'm sorry, I never asked you your name," he squinted his eyes.

"Uhh…Fayt. I'm Fayt Leingod," Fayt said with discomfort. The man stiffened up and breathed through his nostrils.

"Well then, Fayt," he said. "Please, do make yourself at home. I'm sure no one will bother your presence here, now will they?" he looked over to his wife who resumed her sewing, then looked up and nodded. He turned back to Fayt.

"R-Right. I'll do that." He smiled a bit, but then immediatley frowned. Why was he here? Here, as in this home he had never been in?

The man nodded and led Fayt to the guest room where he'd be staying. "If there's anything you need, just ask me, okay?"

"Okay," Fayt said, and then sat down on the bed with a plump. He bounced a little after he sat down. He was utterly amused. His fingers tickled him when he ran them across the soft, white sheets that were below. The man smiled, finally, and closed the door.

All was quiet after the man had left. He felt awkward in all the wrong ways, and couldn't explain the feeling he had inside him. His stomach churning and grumbling, he laid his head on the soft, round pillow and drifted off to sleep. This didn't last for very long, because some time after he shut his eyes, there was a violent tap on the window that startled him. He rose from the sheets and rubbed his eyes as if he were sleeping for hours.

He examined the window more carefully this time, with a kind of fear that refrained him from going too close. The sound was heard again, and he slowly stepped forward.

Fayt was now inching closer to the window even when his mind told him not to.

"Hello?" Fayt asked. "W-Who's there…?" The noise came again. Fayt stepped further and further.

Now that he was close enough, he could see a dark shadow in front of the window; this, he thought, _must_ be my pursuer.

Fayt carefully opened the window letting it crack and squeak from over-use. With a final heave, the window slammed to the top and some bits of glass shattered onto the board of wood. Fayt stepped back to dodge it, then once it was over, he returned to the window to finish his 'secret investigation'.

"H-Hello?" Fayt asked again. The shadow whipped across him and into the room, taking form of a person. The man that stood before him was carrying a rather large sword; his smirk as devilish as his appearance was. Dark red circles surrounded his whole body, from the top of his head to his toes. Armor that had an unusual look to it was on his left arm. Fayt stood in complete confusion, unaware what had really happened. What had happened? He thought. _What's_ happening?!

The man laughed. "Why hello there," he shouted. "It's really nice to see you, you know." He raised his sword, and pointed it at Fayt. Fayt gulped.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" he slowly reached his had out to the handle of his sword, ready to fight.

"My identity is not important right now," he said. "What's important is that your'e not supposed to exist here."

"Here? I kind of figured that out when I passed out right in the middle of town, and then time stopped suddenly. Everyone is bitter now. This isn't the world I'm supposed to live in."

He clapped amusingly. "Very good! Your'e smarter than _he_ said you would be." He raised his sword higher, directly aiming at Fayt's forehead. Fayt realized this, and grabbed the handle of his sword forcefully.  
"You can't fool me," he said quietly, and unsheathed his sword, making a noise that resembled the clash of war. "Come on. Do something."

He rolled his neck and cracked his knuckles. "Well, this should be interesting!" With both hands powerfully grasped on the handle of his sword, he looked directly into Fayt's emrald eyes. His pupils dialated and he lowered his sword.

"What?" he breathed. Fayt took his first steps to the left, then to the right. He continued this process slowly, in order to build stamina in his body. There was a lot of concentration needed in sword fighting. He couldn't afford to lose to this guy, whoever he was.

The man shook his head in doubt and tried to concentrate on his self defense and accuracy. Without hesitation, both charged forward. The sound of their swords clashed throughout the whole village, and rattled the house from its impact.

End, Chapter 14.

Author's note: YAY!! This is so awesome! I think I have a fetish for writing battle scences…(plans sinisterly) Hehehe….Oh no! Fayt is all alone with no Albel! How can he survive?!?! Well…Actually, I don't know. I have to brainstorm more. XD;; Ahh-heh-heh! Hope you're liking the chapters; Please read and review!  
-Buri


	15. Decisions

Chapter 15

Fayt stepped back a little, still trying to keep his strength. He had been hurt badly with the first hit he had taken, and blood was dripping out of his mouth. "Dammit…"

The man laughed, trying to pull himself together. He, too, suffered a great amount of damage from the blow, and he was also wounded. "…How truly pitiful this is…" he looked down to his sword, still keeping the smile on his face like someone remembering old times. "This is all I have left. Nothing else but you." He moved the sword around a little so that its shiny metal would illuminate in the late afternoon sun. He was still smiling and Fayt had lost all understandings. He never understood who he was in the first place; if anything, he was just an omen playing tricks with him. He breathed in a lot of air through his nostrils, and breathed out of his mouth to prepare himself; if this man was fighting for a personal purpose, he would have to be careful. Fayt had seen and experienced these kinds of battles—of course, not in this kind of fashion—and witnessed how insane a person can truly become.

Fayt grasped the handle of his sword tightly, feeling it's cold surface against his pale skin. Fayt wondered how long he would survive. The man looked up from his weapon and stared directly into Fayt's eyes again. He laughed hoarsley with pain in his voice. "I sware…You are not the superior." He lifted his sword above his head to build power, then thrusted it back over his head to the ground. The sound shook the house. Fayt was wondering what was happening outside the house he remained idle in. For now, he had to focus on getting back to his own world. Not this mixed-up crazy one. But in the meantime, he would focus all his remaining strength into this battle, so that he would feel truly proud of himself when he did get back. This man didn't seem astonishingly powerful to Fayt; in fact, he considered himself to be winning the battle. But he didn't want to get arrogant so willingly. It would ruin his chances of winning, and most likely keep him off-guard.

"I will condemn you to your rightful place!" he yelled, charging forward. Fayt's knees buckled and he almost fell over. However, he stood up enough to parry the attack, or at least hold up until he pulled away. Fayt settled a few steps backward, and bended his knees a little so they wouldn't buckle the way they did.

"Die!!" the man yelled, again, charging headstrong. Fayt stepped to the side this time, with strategy in his head. He held the man's arm and twisted it. The man growled in agony and tried to pull away. Fayt smirked, knowing that he couldn't. Fayt pointed his sword just under the man's chin, still smirking as he did before.

"It looks like you're done," Fayt said very sinisterly. He stopped himself to think for a second. _Woah, _he thought. _That wasn't like me at all._ Fayt shook his head and got back to reality. The man shook his head slowly, not wanting to cut himself on the sword's sharp blade. Fayt laughed. "I didn't think so." He moved his sword up further, causing the man to lift his head to prevent contact with the sword. His breathing was heavier than before and Fayt felt awesome. He loved feeling this pleasure that was only his to know—being the victor of the battle when the enemy is helpless. It was one of his few guilty pleasures, and one that came across him scarcely. But when it did, it was like he was a completley different person (as you could tell.).

"You…" he mumbled. "This strength…where did it come from?" Fayt kept the same smile on his face.  
"Why don't I just end it right here?" Fayt's voice also changed. It sounded snake-like, and shortly after he noticed this, he kept his conversation to the minimum. It felt awkward, being so sinister and evil like that. He never honestly wanted to be like that, and in the time he was like this, he almost forgot about Albel. It reminded him of Albel, that's what. He didn't realize it until just then, where he had been winning the battle. But the man suddenly broke free of Fayt's grasp and stepped away from the sharp blade. He breathed heavily, as if completley shaken by the terrifying sight of the blade. He looked as though he would give out any minute.

Fayt lowered his sword a little, also shocked by his behavior. Why had he been acting that way? He couldn't understand fully. The shocking possibility of this man being an incarnation of Albel was scary to him. He didn't want to see any more imposters of himself or the people he knew well. Much less the planet he lived on.

The man fell to his knees helplessly, looking at the palm of the gauntlet he was wearing. His hand shook madly, and soon after he fell face-down to the floor. Fayt lowered his sword as he watched the man try to grab for his sword. He groaned one last time, then died. The sword inches away from his outstretched hand glowed, and Fayt decided to pick it up. His fingertips were warm, and he could feel the energy of the sword pulsating into his body. He would use this sword from now on, until the day he died. He closed his eyes for a moment of silence and then nodded, continuing to the other side of the room.

He looked out the window to see if anything had happened—and nothing had. The whole time the battle was going on, the whole city maintained is bustling and pushing and shoving to get through. Fayt eased his arms off the ledge and sighed heavily. "Some crazy day…" The door to his room flung open and Fayt jumped. The man who had offered Fayt to stay the night or a possible two came through looking for Fayt. Once entering the part of the room where there wasn't a massive wall to the right, he saw Fayt at the window looking terrified. The man couldn't help but laugh and as he chuckled Fayt still looked very surprised.

"What's the matter with you?" he asked while still laughing a bit. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."  
"I did!" Fayt's tone was one like a child when he's just discovered something for the first time, and no one would believe him. "I…Don't you see that?!" Fayt pointed to the ground where the man he fought and defeated lay dead, and pale. The man looked at the destination, but didn't see anything. He laughed.

"I don't see anything but the floor," he said disappointed in some way, maybe wishing he could see it too. "Which by the way is covered with dust."

Fayt frowned and looked down. "Oh. Well you must've heard all those loud "booms", right?" Fayt asked still using the childish tone. The man shrugged.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he walked over to Fayt checking to see if he had a fever. "You do look pale."  
"No, no," Fayt walked away from the man. "I'm not sick. But—You had to have heard those. They were so loud…" Fayt paced about the room, thinking how all that could've happened without anyone knowing besides him. The man crossed his arms. Fayt did realize this, but the man only looked about in his early twenties, and was considerably thin for his age. His hair was dark brown, and his eyes were a bright green-blue. Fayt didn't know why he noticed these things, he just thought it was right to remember the faces of people he'd met on his journey through life. A simple but somewhat odd trait he developed; he'd never stopped doing it since his whole journey had begun.

The man noticed Fayt staring at him and he laughed. "Something wrong?" Fayt looked to his side, a bit perplexed.

"No…" Fayt let his hand dangle beside him, his fingers wiggling nervously. "I'm a little tired. I might go to bed soon."

The man nodded. "Okay. Just let me know if you need anything." The man left silently, closing the door. Fayt sighed and plopped onto his bed. So many things had happened—and why had they happened? All things happen for certain reasons, didn't they? Fayt shook his head at that thought and rolled on his side. His eyes grew heavy and he eventually drifted off to sleep again.

Morning struck. Had Fayt really slept that long? The sun was still setting when he went to bed. Or had the day reversed itself? _That's impossible,_ Fayt thought. _It's crazy to think the day would go backwards instead of forwards._ Fayt sighed again and sat up.  
"I wonder what Albel's doing," he shrugged, feeling sad again. What had he been doing since Fayt had left him? Where was he? Was he thinking about Fayt too? Fayt denied that Albel would spend his time thinking about someone. But it was Albel…and he changed his mind many times. He might have become a better person, and Fayt wasn't there to witness that change. Pain sprung into Fayt's head suddenly, causing his hand to twitch. He stared at the window, seeing that the bright light was shining through the curtains. What time was it?

At that thought, the man from before appeared in the doorway and greeted Fayt. "Good morning," he said.

Fayt nodded slowly, the pain increasing by the second.

"What's wrong?" he asked, walking over to Fayt. "You look pale again."

"I'm fine," Fayt skooted away from him, his hand on his head easing the pain slowly. "Really."

The man shrugged. "Okay." He left, but this time left the door open. Fayt assumed that he would come back again. Maybe with Fayt's breakfast or something. Fayt decided that he would ask the man's name before he left—if he did leave—so he could remember him. Just for the sake of memories. He couldn't afford to lose anyone else, whether it be a loved one or a person Fayt had just met along the way in his journey.The man did come back again as Fayt had predicted, but he didn't have anything for Fayt to eat. The man sat down beside him looking a bit sad for some reason, staring at his feet. Fayt looked at the man curiously.   
"…When do you think you'll leave?" he asked Fayt. Fayt's eyes grew suddenly wide and he looked away.  
"I don't know," he said weakly. "Everything is happening so strangley that it's hard to know when's the best time to leave." Fayt shrugged.  
The man nodded, a bit disappointed. "Okay." He looked at Fayt, seeming to study him more than to tell him something. Fayt sat silently.

"You know…" the man smiled. "You look familiar."  
"I…I do?"  
"Yeah…" the man paused for a minute. "I had a son once. But…he died in the war that happened just recently."  
Fayt frowned. "That's too bad."

"No, not really," he smiled. "He does look a little like you."

"Really…?" Fayt yawned, suddenly tired again. He nodded. Conversation stopped at that point and Fayt felt awkward. He decided that he would ask the man his name now, because the sooner the better, as the saying goes.

"What's your name? I never really asked," Fayt laughed.  
"Oh that's right!" the man laughed with him. "And I the same." Fayt smiled a little. "My name is David."

"David…" Fayt thought. David waited for his introduction of himself, and Fayt hadn't noticed that he had been wandering through his subconcious. "Oh…My name's Fayt."

Silence came between them again. Why? Why couldn' Fayt just up and go himself? Of course he would have to tell someone he was leaving, but he didn't seem to have the courage to! What was wrong with him?

"…So. You're leaving now, right?" David spoke softly. Fayt nodded in reply.

"Are you okay with that?" Fayt asked, almost regretting the fact that he should leave. But how else would he find Albel again?

"It's okay. You would eventually leave anyway, right?" Fayt was glad that David was so considerate.

"Thank you." Fayt got up, grabbed his sword and put it back in its rightful place, and took one last look at the place. David nodded. "Goodbye," Fayt uttered. Without saying any last words to anyone in the house, Fayt left. He actually felt sad; those people were saints for taking him in, though he wasn't really in need. He just didn't fit in with the people around him in this world, whatever **this** world was.

Fayt pushed through the crowd of people carelessly. Some kind of pain and restlessness was brought over him and he couldn't decipher possibly what it could be. Oh well, Fayt thought. I just need to find Albel as fast as I can…

End, Chapter 15  
Author's note: I'm sorry! DX I just can't think very well lately…I know why this story is getting bad…Because Albel ISN'T in it!! (Yet.) XDDD I think I just gave away spoilers. Well, he has to come back sometime! Or else my story will NEVER be as good as I want it to be…..


	16. Remembering You

Start, Chapter 16: Part 1

"Move!!"  
Fayt flew to the ground, his face toward the old, worn surface that had been there for years. Fayt continued to walk on with a bit of pain from before. "Jeeze," Fayt muttered, glancing at the person who had kicked him.

Fayt sighed. Did he have even the slightest clue as to where he was headed? He should arrive at some sort of conclusion, or else he might never find Albel as soon as he'd like. "Albel…" Fayt whispered. He wanted to see Albel again as badly as he'd wish the people here were nicer. But he had many more reasons to want Albel back. He just missed having him around; there was a certain kind of energy around him that would convice Fayt to keep moving forward. There was no sense in being lazy and not doing what was required. Fayt simply wanted things to go as smoothly as possible. It just made life easier for him. It would for anyone.

Fayt walked past a stand selling fruits and vegetables of many kinds. As he gazed at them he realized just how hungry he was. When David and his wife were taking care of Fayt, they never asked him to eat with them or asked him if he would like something to drink when he first came in. Nothing. Fayt's stomach grumbled in reply. He had to eat. Fayt jammed his hand in his pocket to sift through some extra change. He barely found enough for one apple. Fayt frowned and sighed,walking away from the produce stand, his hand still in his pocket. He felt like he hadn't eaten for days, though it had only been one or two, possibly three days since he had eaten. Still, that was a long time without food and it wasn't healthy. Fayt wanted to ask someone for directions but all the people there were so bitter and mean; he would rather try to find his way on his own, but the risk of getting lost was great. But what was the problem? Fayt had been here millions of times and he had no fuss of getting out and going where he wanted to go.

A woman in the distance with short, red hair was walking towards him. She had hair as red as an apple, her complexion curvy and flawless. Maybe she could tell him where he needed to go. Fayt walked up to her as well, feeling a bit better than before.

They met each others eyes finally, hers more questioning than his. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Oh…I'm sorry," Fayt laughed. "You just looked familiar to me, so…"

"If you've got something to say then say it," she barked.  
Fayt flinched. He looked down to study his shoes briefly, then looked up and met the woman's cold, un-inviting expression. "…Nel?" he muttered.  
Her eyes grew a little wider. "Who told you my name?!" she shouted.  
"It is you!" Fayt cried. He felt happy to have met at least one of his friends. He felt so happy that he almost hugged her, but if he did that, he might lose a tooth.

"Shhh! Be quiet!" she held her hand over Fayt's mouth. "Do you want people to hear you screaming like that?"  
Fayt shook his head, his words stolen. Nel returned her hand to her side, looking around her, seeing that no one had seen the scene. "You need to be more careful around here," she warned Fayt. "There's people here that you don't want to mess with."

Fayt nodded. "So…Nel," he blushed. "Do you know where I am?"

She rested her hands on her hips, thinking a bit. "This is Peterny, The City of Trade," she crossed her arms. "don't you remember?"

"Umm…" Fayt shook his head a little. "No, I meant what planet am I on?" Fayt knew his question would sound awkward to her.

"Elicoor II, right?" she smiled. "You told us that."  
She remembered, Fayt thought. This must be the real Nel. "Do you know what's going on?"  
"What are you talking about? This is like any other day in Peterny." She grew suspicious. "Why are you asking me so many questions?"

"I'm just curious!" Fayt lied. "…Anyway, you haven't exactly answered what I asked you."

"No you're not. You're lying," Nel said. "I can tell."

Fayt sighed. "….Okay fine. Maybe just a little bit," he rolled his eyes, and sat down on a nearby bench. "I'm just so confused."

Nel joined him. "About what?"

Fayt didn't answer for a bit. "….Questions again. That's all life is, questions."

Nel shook her head. "No it's not. You may ask a lot of questions in your life, but you'll always find answers." She smiled.

Fayt looked towards her. Was this the real Nel? She seemed more chipper than usual. "You…think so?"

"Fayt," she laughed. "You're as clueless as you were when I first met you." She ruffled his hair and smiled. Fayt shook his head.

"What was that for?!" he skooted away from her.  
"What's wrong?" she laughed.

Fayt ceased to answer her. "…Nothing." He relaxed a little more, realizing that if he got on Nel's bad side, he might never find anyone—including Albel—he was looking for. Nel studied him. "He looks nervous," she thought.

"Nel," Fayt breathed. "Have you seen anyone else? I mean, the others—the people we've traveled with?"  
"Are you sure you're okay? When we defeated Luther, we all agreed that we'd go our separate ways. Don't you remember?"  
Fayt swolloed. "Of…of course I do! But Nel, there were some that decided that they would stay here for a little," Fayt said convincingly. "They've been visiting too. They didn't just leave forever."

"Who exactly are you looking for?"

Fayt flinched. A tingling had spread across his face, and he tried to hide it by lowering his head. "Albel…" he swolloed again. Nel didn't say anything for a while. He was convinced to think that she had left for some reason; that she didn't like what Fayt had said. Was this the truth? Fayt had seen a glimpse of a relationship between them, but he had no idea that he ment so much to her. Fayt felt horribly guilty for causing this kind of trouble upon her shoulders.

Nel had left. Fayt saw her walking down the isle with fast paces. She looked as if she were to break at any moment. "Nel!" Fayt shouted, and ran after her.

She turned back. "Leave me alone." She walked ahead, this time breaking into a small run and running away from Fayt. Fayt stopped chasing her.

"…" Fayt looked down to study his shoes again. Someone walking past Fayt bumped him on his shoulder and apologized. Fayt refused to look up, tears almost welling up in his eyes. "Dammit…" he cursed. "….Why do you have to be so hard to find?!" Fayt was sobbing hysterically. He didn't care if anyone saw him. No one cared any way. Fayt looked up, and saw the person who had bumped into him. Somehow their appearance triggered something in Fayt's mind—something of a memory. Something that resided there for many days and something that was never realized.

Fayt began to walk forward. With haziness in his eyes, things started to get blurry. Fayt still walked after the man. Finally he reached him and rested his hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Fayt, his head bowed, his chest breathing heavily, his skin pale as paper.

"You…" Fayt whispered. He firmed his grasp. "You…"

"?!" the man's eye's widened. "Fayt?!"

Fayt looked up, more surprised and enthused than before. Fayt's pupils dialated. He couldn't speak. His mouth was open but no words came out. He shook and trembled in the place where he stood, feeling scared, happy, angry, sad; all his emotions were mixed together and made an empty feeling. He felt nothing.  
Fayt collapsed.

When Fayt's vision cleared, he could see the same man from before staring at him, examining his face as if it were a painting. Fayt felt no reason to be scared. He felt protected in the man's arms. A familiar feeling.

Finally, he spoke. "Are you okay?"

Fayt still couldn't talk. He was probably dehydtrated or just exhausted. His throat was dry and scratchy. Instead, Fayt gave the man a small nod. His expression hardened and he helped Fayt up. Neither one of them spoke, even though Fayt could not, and the man didn't say anything either. What was the cause of Fayt's accident? Again he was probably just thirsty and hungry. His lack of concentration was also a factor in his accident, because of the many confusing things happening to him latley.

The man rested him on a bed in a nearby inn. He sat on a chair to the right of Fayt's bed. After a whille, he didn't speak. But then he asked Fayt if he wanted something to drink and Fayt nodded eagerly in reply. The man left to get the water and shut the door quietly behind him.  
Fayt studied the room: It was a lot like any other hotel room. A table with a fluorescent arrangment of flowers, a window just above the bed with curtains, which was soothing because the air would lightly flow throughout the room. It also was comforting to see the light of the sunset through the curtains. It reminded him of David's house.

The man came through the door with glass in hand. He smiled a little. He still said nothing. He walked over to the dresser on Fayt's right and placed the glass on it. Fayt reached for it ferociously and drank the whole thing in about six seconds. Fayt swolloed and cleared his throat a little, regaining his ability to speak. The man gave Fayt a look that he had seen before. There was something in the man's eyes that triggered something inside of Fayt; it somehow reminded him of…

"You must be thirsty," he said, more calm than surprised. "You look thin too. How long has it been since you've eaten?"

"A—About three days," Fayt's throat still felt scratchy and dry inside, but he could speak, nonetheless.

His eyes widened. "Three days?!" Again. The look on his face…

"It's okay."

Why did it seem so familiar?

He sighed, and laid back in his chair. He closed his eyes and played with his fingers a little. "…"

"Umm…" Fayt hesitated. "How did you…know my name back then?"

The man looked up, his gaze as hypnotizing as before.

His eyes….

"…That was…"

…Why? Why do his eyes look like Albel's?!

Fayt waited for his reply. For a minute he could imagine Albel sitting there beside him. In reality, though, he was only a stranger.

"For some reason…" he started. "…I don't feel like myself. I don't feel like the same person that I was before. I think…" Fayt stared into his eyes. "…I think I've changed."

Change. Change is a powerful thing; something that can reverse the way things are supposed to happen. But this kind of change was different. This kind of change was a change of heart—a sacrifice. In order to change, you must first have a reason to change. You cannot fully change unless there is a good reason. Something in your past that made you regret it and yourself, something that you'd done in the past. When you change, you let go of all the things in the past, and start a new life. Wet eyes will be dried. Dirtied hands will be cleansed. Evil, sickening hearts will be kind, lighthearted hearts. Change. Change is a powerful thing.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked Fayt. Fayt absent-mindedly nodded and tried to listen to what he had to say. "Do you have someone…someone special in your life?"

Fayt blinked. Who was this man? "Actually…"

For what reason had this man saved him? He certainly didn't know Fayt, and Fayt didn't know him either. Fayt realized that this man, sitting right in front of him, could be Albel. The same eyes, the same tone, the same…everything. He just couldn't physically see it with his human eyes. "…yes."

The man who Fayt claimed to be Albel widened his eyes and sat up. He seemed interested. Fayt took in a deep breath. "What is your name?" he asked.

He hesitated, but then answered. "I don't…" he sighed. "I don't remember my name—"

"Albel," Fayt interrupted. The man flinched. "Does that name sound familiar to you?"

He rested his hand on his side. His loose hand quickly formed into a tight fist. "Yes…Yes it does."

Fayt smiled. "Good."

Start, Chapter 16: Part 2

Fayt would from now on always call him Albel. Though he didn't exactly look like Albel, there was a look in his eyes that resembled Albel even though it was as invisible as air. Fayt frowned wondering if the man before him really was Albel.

"Albel…" Fayt said. "I guess if the name sounds familiar, it must be you." Fayt smiled. "How else would you know my name? Heh, of course…I'm so stupid…" Fayt didn't realize that he was talking to himself. To him it was just an unfortunate series of coupled words.

'Albel' looked confused. "How do you know who I am? I only met you a few hours ago." His expression showed thoughts of doubts and uncertainty.

"I know someone with the name Albel. And strangley you resemble him in so many ways." Fayt laughed. He felt a yawn developing in his mouth.

Albel wondered: Had the name brought back any memories, of any kind? Had it kindled a fire so small that it was hard to see? He thought of the boy's name now, trying to concentrate as hard as he ever did. 'Fayt'….He repeated the name over and over in his head, but still, nothing had come to mind. It was hopeless. He frowned.

Fayt finished his yawn, and rested his eyes on Albel again. "I can understand if you don't remember me. I won't be mad or anything…though I may be a bit upset," Fayt leaned back and put his hands behind his head.

"But don't you feel desperate to know?" he asked. "Don't you feel this empty feeling inside that just eats away at you?"

Fayt blinked. He couldn't make sense of anything he had said, but he did understand what he was trying to say. "You're right." Fayt shook his head sadly.

"Could you…repeat your name for me?" he blushed, his sinister eyes looking to the side. "Please."

Fayt nodded. "Fayt Liengod."

"Liengod…" he repeated. Albel lifted his head as if he had figured something out. "You're Fayt Liengod!"

Fayt laughed a bit, not seeing this side of Albel before. Or rather, this person who happen to look like Albel. "Yeah, I guess I am."  
Albel looked unusually happy and excited. He wasn't normally like that.  
"Say," Fayt muttered. "Do you feel...sort of...out of place?"  
"Hm?"  
"The place we're in right now...is it real?" Fayt felt dizzy again.  
"I don't know what you mean," Albel replied sadly.  
"I just wish you could understand how I feel right now. I just feel like I should be somewhere else and not 'here'!" Fayt began to lose sight of reality and go berserk.  
"Calm down!" Albel growled, growing frustrated with Fayt's inability to make sense. He placed his hand on Fayt's shoulder, causing Fayt's body to fly forward, his spine arching in an rather disturbing way. With his face between his legs, his lungs growing dry with anticipation of passing out again, Fayt uttered Albel's name with all his body could take. Albel pushed Fayt up to prevent permanent damage to his spine, and also to ease the pain.  
"Don't strain yourself like that," Albel muttered, studying Fayt's face with worries in mind.

Fayt swallowed. "S-Sorry..." His mouth was dry, in need of another glass of water. Albel sensed this.  
"Are you thirsty again?" he asked, already getting up to refil Fayt's glass.

Fayt pushed away Albel's arm, grabbing the glass in his hand. "No. I can get it myself." Fayt staggered toward the bathroom, looking like he would keel-over any second.

"But you're still--" Albel yelled at Fayt only to be heard out by the slamming of the bathroom door. Albel scoffed and sat down on the edge of Fayt's bed.  
Fayt didn't come out of the bathroom for a long time. Albel grew worried and decided to see if something had happened. With each step he took, the floor creaked as loudly and obnociously as it could.

Albel could not beleive what he saw. Fayt, the blue haired boy that he had met somewhere before but couldn't remember, was lying on the floor with the glass broken, shards scattered among the room. Albel ran to help him up and to see if he had any injuries. He did. In fact, he had numerous cuts across his face and on his hands. Albel was near tears at the sight of Fayt unconscious and so cut up like he was. "Fayt..." Albel whispered. Albel caressed Fayt in his arms, standing up and walking back into the bedroom. Albel placed Fayt back on his bed, Fayt's eyebrows seemingly arched with worry. He'd been so stressed that even in a comatose state he would seem angered or confused. Albel studied Fayt again. Why had he had such a close connection to this boy? Why would he help him and attend to his need when he didn't remember why he was helping him and attending him? Albel grew quite confused himself. Considering the late of the day, he took one last look at Fayt for the day and left, hoping that tomorrow would show good signs of health.


	17. Apathy

Albel sighed and sat down near him. "I can't believe I'm just gonna sit here all day doing..._this_," Albel complained. He could have walked out the door that very minute, but who knows what would happen if Albel let Fayt out of his sight. He might try to get up and train and overwork himself. Albel wouldn't let something like that happen. An idea burst into his head. "Wait a minute," he thought. "I don't have to watch him...someone...else can." A curious look found its way around Albel's features. "As long as someone's watching him...it doesn't matter who!" However, on top of all that relief, was guilt. After all he'd done for Fayt, he still felt that there was more needed to be done.  
"Maybe I should stay for a little bit longer..." Albel thought. "I don't think Fayt will be happy when he wakes up to an empty chair." (GAH, OOC ALBEL. SOO HARD TO IMAGINE. But yet I'm still carrying on with this, how...?)  
Albel accidentally fell asleep and ended up staying a lot longer than he had originally planned. To be precise, 5 hours longer. He found himself lying on the floor when he woke up. Slightly confused, Albel stood up and stretched.  
"Hm?" Albel glanced at Fayt's bed and saw that it was empty. Rage pulsed through his veins. "That little...!"  
Suddenly the door came open.  
"Can I come in?"  
"Depends. Who is it?" Albel barked.  
"S-Sophia..."  
Albel wanted to ignore her, but didn't. "Fine. Come in."  
Sophia walked in with a card in her hand. She looked around the room, her main focus being on the empty bed. "Where's Fayt?"  
"Hmph. How the hell am I supposed to know?" Albel crossed his arms. "The little fool must've escaped while I was asleep."  
"Oh...well if he comes back, give him this card," Sophia handed Albel the card and quickly walked out the door. "T-Thank you."  
Albel opened the card, read it, and threw it in the trash. "Bah."

"He's never getting your damn card."

It was almost 10 by the time Fayt got back. He walked in the door without a word, like there was no one there but him. He quickly realized, after shutting the door, that Albel was there as well, sitting on the edge of Fayt's bed, watching him.  
"Where the hell have you been?" Albel said finally, after neither he nor Fayt had said a word.  
Fayt knew he was being watched by Albel. Every single move he made, Albel saw it.  
"...Out."  
"Right! And you seem a lot better than when I last saw you," Albel's voice seethed with anger. This boy was almost driving him nuts.  
"Hold on," Fayt said. "There's something wrong here."  
"What? ...Don't change the subject!"  
"Before you fell asleep, you were acting...nice. And now, you're..." Fayt couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew that because of Albel resting, it changed his personality somehow. That was a big part of the answer, but there was an even bigger part that was missing.  
"You're saying that over 5 hours time I changed my attitude? You're joking. That's impossible!"  
"It's not." Fayt sensed something else. _Someone...someone else is here? But where?_ Fayt thought he heard a noise coming from behind him. Soon enough, he saw a dark shadow in the wall that was a clue of the third person's presence.  
A sinister laugh was heard. "Very good. It seems you're smarter than they said."  
"Who are you? Why do you keep messing around with me?!"  
"Don't you see? It's because we're **bound** together."  
"Ah?!" The man that looked like Fayt swirled around him and was now facing him. He laughed with pleasure.  
"That expression...of confusion and rage...it fits you well."  
"Shut up!!" Fayt heard his voice project ten times as loud. Amongst all that was happening, Albel didn't notice a thing. He hung his head with his eyes closed and looked as if he were sleeping, or that he was very tired.  
Both of them, standing, looking like almost the exact same person, seemed to elapse time further. Fayt felt himself sinking lower to the ground, and the whole area around him spinning. "Wha-what?!"  
"You let your guard down," he mumbled with pleasure and drew his hand back to his side. "Then again, you always have been a vulnerable one."  
"Ku..." Fayt broke free from his spell and rested one knee to the floor, one up and supporting his body. Fayt was breathing heavily again. "Dammit...Albel was right, I am still sick."  
The man stared at Fayt for a while, looking as defeated as possible, not saying anything.  
"About this council..." Fayt muttered. "Is that the name of your group or something?"

He chuckled. "So I see you dreamed it after all. Amelia said that all those thoughts were mere coincidences..."  
"Who's Amelia?" Fayt asked.  
"She is the person who would replace me if anything happened. Basically she is like a vice president." He looked to the side, showing a bit more emotion in his actions.  
"What does the council want with me?"

He sighed. "Is all you do ask questions?" he shook his head. "Very well then...it's about time you knew anyhow. As you know, your father, Dr. Robert Leingod, conducted a special experiment on you, Dr. Clive Esteed's daughter, and Dr. Traydor's daughter. Is that correct?"  
"Yes..."  
"Sophia was given the Connection gene, the power to open portals to 4D space, Maria was given the Alteration gene, the power to charge up objects and make them more powerful, or possibly destroy, and you, Fayt, were given the Destruction gene, the power to completely obliterate anything within reach. Now, which one of these do you think sounds more powerful?"  
"Well, Destruction, obviously..." Fayt muttered.

"Exactly. You see, the council has been around for a while. Long before your father even considered his research. We knew that you were going to be born, we knew that you would be given the power that you have inside of you this very minute. We knew everything!" He laughed vicously.  
"But how is that even..." Fayt muttered. "How is that possible for you to know everything about me before I was born?!"  
The man finally stopped his hysterics and reduced them to a simple chuckle. "You want to know why? Well...the truth is that the council, it's been around longer than you might have guessed. Since the beginning of time."  
Fayt flinched. It doesn't make sense...why would they be after me? I can't be that valuable!  
"This power..." Fayt looked to his feet. "It's not something that should exist. Then maybe...maybe I shouldn't exist..."  
"Why must you be so negative? Think of it as a good thing," the man lifted his hand from his side and stared at his palm as he spoke. "You will never die, should you obtain the power to control it."  
Fayt's attention was caught. "You could learn to control it? ...How?" Fayt had no idea of how his curiosity would soon lead to even more confusion and despair.  
He laughed. "You are not yet capable of obtaining such a power. When you are ready, I will come before you again..."  
With that, the man disappeared into a black fog, and Albel's eyes opened, everything returning back to the way it was before. Fayt stood in the middle of the room, the same place he had ended up standing when he came home that night. When Albel had stopped him to answer his questions.  
Albel still had a sleepiness about him, though nothing had happened, his eyes were heavy with sleep. Once again, he looked up at Fayt, their eyes meeting. Both were brilliant shades of red and green and no longer after that, they had turned their heads away in emberassement. Suddenly that feeling of bliss came into Fayt's life again. From what the man had said, Fayt wasn't ready to learn to control his power. And Fayt didn't intend to use it. He wouldn't be returning for a while. Feeling relieved, Fayt walked over to his bed and sat on the edge diagonal to Albel. He layed back, with arms behind his head. He stared at the ceiling for what seemed to be hours before Albel finally got up and walked out the door. Fayt figured he went to his own room to sleep or maybe he just needed to get out of the inn for a while.  
All was quiet in the hallway. As he walked, an occasional rumble of thunder would come and go. It wasn't anything loud. But it was soothing. Albel decided he would step outside for a bit. Sure, it was raining, and yeah, there was thunder too. Albel couldn't have cared less. He stood right in the middle of the road, and let his head fall backward. The feeling of the rain was soothing on his skin. He couldn't have felt more alive than standing out in the rain, having it fall down his face.


	18. Yet Again

Start, Chapter 19.

Morning. Early morning. Fayt rose from the sheets and looked amongst the many faces gathered around his bed. They were all staring at him with wide eyes and open mouths. Fayt couldn't process what was happening. Finally, someone spoke up.  
"Well I guess you're better now," someone said. Fayt felt no different than how he did when he first hit the sack. So there was really no point in telling everyone that.

"Umm..." Fayt scratched his head. "I'm not really..."

"What do you mean? Look," Sophia pushed through the "crowd" to get to Fayt. Once there, she stuck a thermometer in his mouth and in seconds his temperature was taken. "Your fever has died down quite a bit since yesterday. But I think it would be safe to stay in bed one more day before we set out on our journey. I guess you can never be too careful, right guys?" Sophia turned to the party and saw many people shrug. Sophia sighed. With that, everyone cleared out of the room. But wait; one person remained. It was Albel. At first Fayt seemed shocked; especially since he had not seen Albel within the crowd. He stood there, his arms crossed and his eyes looking straight into Fayt's. Fayt gulped.

"Albel, I didn't see you...what are you doing here?" Fayt asked slowly.

Albel did not reply. It was so quiet and still in the room. Fayt watched carefully and saw Albel blink impatiently. Was something wrong? Fayt had no clue.

"Albel, I--"

"If you're worried about me, don't be. You should be thinking more about yourself instead of putting others first. You're tearing yourself apart." Albel turned his back to him and walked aimlessly around the room, looking for an excuse to leave. Why was he there in the first place? He wasn't even sure why he got out of bed. He tried to remember something that happened last night...something vital and important. Maybe it was the cause of his early rising.

When nothing came to mind, Albel let out a disgruntled sigh and turned around. Now he was facing Fayt. Having the boy stare back at him in a confused and sleepy daze, Albel walked slowly towards the window. Every now and then he and Fayt would exchange glances while the other wasn't looking. This game went on for a while, until finally their eyes met. Their hearts stopped beating for a moment.

Why was it so overwhelming looking into those brilliant, emerald eyes? Every time Albel did so, he felt as if he were paralyzed; his body went numb, a shade of pink on his cheeks. Albel could never quite figure it out. But now, looking into those eyes of his, he knew why they stunned him so.

Fayt flinched and looked away from the warrior. "I-I'm sorry...I kinda spaced out," he apologized.

Albel continued to look at him. It was almost as if his eyes wouldn't leave in another direction. Fayt felt this sense of being watched and turned to Albel, who in fact, was staring; quite intensely. Fayt blushed. "Albel...what are you staring at?" he asked nervously.

Albel didn't seem to hear him. "Albel?" Fayt grew worried. "Hey!"

Albel flinched. "What..." he thought. "...the hell just happened...?" He shook his head, trying to focus his eyes on something else. The pain in his head increased, making his vision blurred and foggy. He felt dizzy and unbalanced. Fayt noticed this.

"Albel, are you alright?" he pulled off the sheets and ran to aid his confused friend. "Albel? Can you hear me?"  
No response.

"(sigh) ...Damnit...I probably gave him my cold..." Fayt angrily pulled Albel's arm over his shoulder and walked him back to his room. His skin was pale; paler than usual. He was drenched in sweat, looking as if he were about to die. His heart ached a terrible pain upon seeing Albel in such a defenseless, weak state of health. He wished there was something he could do...

That's it; Albel never ate on a regular basis. In fact, he barely ate at all. It was Fayt's first task to watch over Albel, make sure he was all right. Fayt decided he would tell everyone about it; after all, it was because of him that their original departure was delayed. He wouldn't tell Sophia...or tell anyone she was near or with. Even though Sophia was a good nurse and she knew what medicines to take for certain symptoms, Fayt couldn't trust her tending to Albel's needs. After all, she had been the one who had seeked "revenge" on him to take back what was rightfully hers (Fayt). Fayt hadn't liked the idea at all. Often, he would spot her whipping up weird potions and mixtures that were liable to kill someone at the first sip. So he decided to stay away from her at all costs. Once in a while, if she seemed approachable, they would share a small conversation. But an awkward one. Usually when Fayt talked to her all he could think about was if she was telling the truth or if she had plans to kill anyone that Fayt knew; Albel in particular. Around Sophia he had to consider Albel's safety, along with his own.

Fayt stepped outside only to find himself lost. Where would he find food? He didn't have much money with him, so buying something was completley out of the question...But this was an emergency. It was almost a life and death situation! If Albel doesn't eat, he really could die! (Well how do you think he's been doing thus far? You're a smart one, Fayt. sarcastic)

Suddenly, Fayt spotted her; Sophia. The same person Fayt had committed to stay away from. He felt chills run up and down his spine and back again. His only thought was to run away in a blind panic. His efforts were put to waste just as Sophia ran up to him, an angered look on her face.

"Fayt, what are you doing out of bed? I thought I told you to get some rest," she whined.

"Well I'm fine now. So stop worrying," Fayt laughed. He looked down to his feet. "Umm...Sophia?"  
"Yes?"

"I can't believe I'm about to do this, but... can you help me make something for...someone?" Fayt said apathetically. He still hoped she would accept.

Sophia hesitated. "What for?"  
"Well...uhmm...You see..."

"Fayt, spit it out!" she laughed.

There was only one reason why Fayt refrained from telling her why...

"Well...it's Albel. He's not feeling well at all. Not too long ago, he was in my room and he just kept staring at me and he had this look in his eyes that was so dull and plain. He would have fallen over, if not for my help. I think it's because he doesn't eat...and he seems a little absent-minded."  
Sophia blinked, dazed. "Uhh what?"  
"Were you even listening to me?!" Fayt shouted.

Sophia sighed. "Of course I was!" she turned slightly, a little mad and jealous. She knew Fayt was only trying to explain the situation. But every time Fayt talked about Albel, it seemed like the words he spoke were meant to make her feel bad. She frowned.

"Anyway, do you get what I'm trying to ask you?" Fayt asked, desperate.

"Yes. But only if you'll help me buy the ingredients," she giggled happily.

"What?! Depends on how much money you've got on you," Fayt said nervously.

"Oh don't worry. I've got enough for all three of us to have lunch. And _seconds_." Sophia gladly took Fayt's hand and guided him to the fresh produce stands.


End file.
